Prime Protection
by Optimus Magnus
Summary: Final Chapter. One shall stand and one shall fall, and what of the weary? Where will they rest?
1. The Pieces are in Place

**********************

A/N:  I swear I should rename myself to Crossover King.  This was co authored with Hilderbrant (sketcher25@hotmail.com) who helped me with some parts as a fellow Transformers fan.  The below list is who each character will be paired with respectively.  For the story behind Dark Prime see my Transformer story 'Secondary Protocol'

Dark Prime : Shinji

Grimlock (and other Dinobots) : Rei

Tracks : Misato

Megatron : Kensuke

Soundwave : Kaji

Hot Rod : Toji

Arcee : Hikari

Starscream : Asuka

Tracks : Misato

********************

Misato was perusing the used car ads in the Sunday paper: her old car wasn't cutting it anymore and she needed a new one.  She'd been searching for hours but none of the right cars were anywhere near her price range and those that were in her price range were just shit.

"Oh this sucks" she moaned and went to the last part of the car ads

Then she saw it: an advert for an old Corvette, 4 seats with next to no miles on the clock and was in immaculate condition and all the owner wanted for it was another car, a plain old trade.  She saw a number and quickly dialed it.  The phone rang three times before an elderly man answered

"Hello?" he said

"Hi, I'm ringing about the car you have for trade" Misato said excitedly

"Oh yes, may I have your name please?" the man asked

"Misato Katsuragi" she replied

"Ah thank you, come around in two hours to discuss the trade please" the man instructed

"Okay, thank you, bye" Misato said and hung up

"YEEES" she cried out and grabbed a beer

***************

Across town, said corvette was being serviced for its impending change of ownership

"Okay, you have all the usual stuff: stun beams, rockets, pulse guns and all that.  We've done a real number on you suspension and brakes, this woman is a mad driver" Ratchet said as he checked Tracks out for his new owner

"Well maybe Hot Rod should go with her then" he complained

"No he's going to one of the other kids, so button down and get used to it" the medic/mechanic snapped

"Man this is degrading" Tracks grumbled

"Button it you wannabe flyer, at least the one you got was sane" Starscream grouched as he read Asuka's personality profile that had been 'borrowed' from Nerv's archives

"Starscream shut up, if you break silence on this mission, I will personally hand you over to Optimus and Dark Prime" Megatron warned

"All you has to do though is sit in a hanger all day and night, with a good chance of having the Aerialbots as company" Megatron added

"Even so, it's boring" the seeker complained

"At least you're not being delivered as a prize for subscribing to Military Mania Magazine, like someone we know" Hot Rod chortled

"I'm warning you Hot Rod" Megatron began to advance menacingly

"Calm down please you two" Arcee said and intervened

Megatron snorted and sat back down, grumbling to himself and resumed reading his own ward's file

Grimlock and the Dinobots sat in a corner trying to get used to the synthetic skin that Wheeljack made them so their initial disguise as animatronics for a dinosaur exhibit in the local museum.  They were of course whining

"Wheeljack, this stuff hot and sticky, we no like it.  We take it off now?" Grimlock asked

"No you may not.  Get used to it guys, until you can sneak out and be taken to the other base in the city near your ward, it stays" he stated firmly

"Oh, but we hate it" Swoop grumbled and pouted as best a giant Pteranodon can

"Look we'll try and have you out of there in a couple of days, okay" Ratchet tried to placate them

"Hmm, we guess that okay" Grimlock said

"Good, now you five work on memorizing the file on the girl you're guarding" Wheeljack advised

"Okay, we do that" Sludge said

With those words, the five Dinobots sat down and began reading a dossier on a rather mysterious youth.  It came with a picture which each Dinobot committed to memory.

"Wow, she pretty" Sludge said

"For a human anyway" Snarl added, looking at his brother funny

"Shush you two" Grimlock chided

Just then Rewind came dashing into the room and shouted

"The woman is here, that major from Nerv" he cried

"Shit.  Okay, Tracks is ready, get him up there quick" Hound said and went about creating his holograms to complete the allusion of the whole thing being legit

Tracks was quietly placed under a car cover and put on the ground above the cloaked base.  Hound then created a house and the elderly man that had answered the phone call from Misato

"Okay, show time" he muttered

***************************

Elsewhere in the city a figure who existed on another plane of matter watched a young man go about his daily routine or trying to relax despite his mean roommate.  Dark Prime was a creature of unknown origins in the Transformers ranks; all they knew was that he shared a bond of sorts with the Autobot leader Optimus Prime and that he had a great many powers: which made him perfect for watching the two other pilots while they were at home.

[Hmm, I wish there was at least something interesting on television] he thought drearily and sat down beside Shinji

Normally this would cause the couch Shinji was on to just flip up, but as Dark Prime was phased, it was as if he was not there, allowing him to just float around the apartment with ease.  He covered his sensitive audio sensors as the German one screeched out another demand of the poor boy

[I know you both had crappy childhoods but damn I wish she wasn't such a bitch] he grumbled about Asuka's attitude towards Shinji

Meanwhile, Shinji, oblivious to his guest and guardian simply went about doing his roommate's bidding so she'd leave him alone to enjoy his Sunday with no homework or tests at home relaxing.

"Alright Asuka, its coming" he called out as he finished making the small stir fry Asuka wanted.

"Thank you" she snapped, not really thankful at all

He handed her the tray from her doorway and watched as she inspected it again and gave it her approval and then demanded that Shinji leave her alone to be in peace.  Shinji had no problems with that arrangement at all and nearly skipped back into the living room and just flopped on the couch and was about to snooze.  The screeching of tires however stopped him

"Ah that will be Misato with her new car" Shinji muttered

[That'll be Tracks] Dark Prime surmised as he heard the car

Soon after, indeed Misato came bounding through the door all happy and excited that she'd traded her old heap for a practically new corvette with all the mod cons and luxury items.

"Oh I am so pleased with myself.  I can't believe I got to it before anyone else did though" she said and drank a beer while tossing Shinji a soda pop

"You look exhausted, Shinji" Misato observed

[Well I wonder why?] Dark Prime thought sarcastically

"I feel tired too, I just want to crash on the couch, it seems more comfy than bed now" Shinji groaned

"I understand, that old couch has seen me through a few nights of the same too" she said

Misato's voice fell upon deaf ears as Shinji was asleep now, his unopened soda on the carpet beside the couch.  She smiled and walked over to the couch and sat down by Shinji's head.  Misato reached out and stroked Shinji's hair in a motherly fashion, putting her feet up on a footrest she relaxed with the boy she considered her son

"You'll be in my heart, from this day on.  Now and forever more.  You'll be in my heart" Misato sang along to the song on the radio in the background

[At least her care is genuine] Dark Prime sighed and went down to the garage to talk to Tracks

*********************

On a highway heading towards the museum of Tokyo 3 was a large red Mac Truck with a grey trailer.  It moved quickly but carefully along the narrow road to the loading bay of the museum do deliver its order: five electronic dinosaurs.  They were unloaded quickly and the truck drove away, while its driver stopped at a nearby pawn shop and dropped off a cassette recorder and tapes.

[There goes Soundwave and his cassettes] Optimus Prime ticked them and the Dinobots off his list

He then drove to a wash facility and had himself look like one of the delivery trucks that delivers to Nerv Central and unobtrusively made his way to the company yards and made sure he was a regular assigned to delivering things to Nerv.

[Once we all get into position; those kids will be much safer] Prime thought, he'd seen the sloppy security around those kids and he hated it.

***************************

Back at Misato's apartment complex, Dark Prime and Tracks were talking.  Dark Prime chuckled when the car formed Autobot asked if he was still alive after his first experience with Misato style driving

"I tell you that woman is a maniac, she drives like she's being chased by an enemy" Tracks gasped

"Well, I'll tell you this: that young boy gets treated like crap by his roommate.  I hope Starscream straightens her out a bit" Dark Prime said

"What about the woman I'm guarding, does she treat him bad?" Tracks asked

"No they're good to one another; it's only the German one that irks my circuits" Dark Prime growled, his glyphs glowing

Not for the first time Tracks felt a little scared of the unknown transformer beside him.  He had several mannerisms that were highly frightening, not the least of which was that thing with the ancient symbols all over his body that he was doing right now.  And the huge broadsword on his back gave most of the others a feeling he wasn't big on guns which kind of scared them more.

"You know what gets me: that the earth governments allow what goes on here, I mean, not even we put bots as equivalently young as these kids on the front lines like this" Dark Prime griped

"Well, from what I read they don't have much of a choice, and humans will always neglect others if it means survival for them" Tracks added airily

"Hmm, perhaps but still, it seems very wrong what's happening here" Dark Prime growled

Tracks had learnt early on during the Autobot/Decepticon Alliance (or ADA) that Dark Prime may be mysterious, but his temper and powers are anything but secret as he tended to display them whenever an excuse presented itself which was probably why when it came down to crunch time, Optimus and Megatron had appointed him Field Marshal of the Army.  The Alliance itself had been dreamed up between Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave and Ultra Magnus for a long time and soon fate threw these four together and they sat down, and started talking, came out with a full treaty in hand.  Then with the return of Unicron, it had gone from being a simple treaty organised peace to a full blown Alliance.  It had stayed that way ever since.

"I'll head over to the other one's house.  Here, this little baby will let you listen in on them till I get back" Dark Prime said and placed a small mic in Tracks' body

************************

Kaji drove past many shops in search of something; a tape recorder.  A contact had said a certain pawn shop had a certain tape recorder and tapes with it: those tapes held useful data for Kaji to examine and share with his other contacts at his leisure.  He stopped when he saw the sign corresponding with the name he was given.  He got out another piece of paper and read the description of the item on it: a purple and black with an odd marking on the tape cover.

"Not much of a description is it" he said to himself and entered the shop

A young man in a t-shirt and jeans with a nose piercing asked him if he could help him.  Kaji just brushed him off and said he was just looking around.  The assistant shrugged and went back to his previous task.  Kaji smiled as he perused the various tape players, finding none that matched his description.  He was about to leave when the assistant put a tape player matching his exact description in the showcase.  Kaji stared at it for a second and asked if any tapes came with it

"Oddly enough there were some tapes, I can get them if you want them sir" the attendant said

"Yes please" Kaji said and got his wallet out to pay for them

"Okay, that will be, 6600 Yen" the assistant said

Kaji stopped and looked at the assistant as if he'd grown a second head.  6600 Yen for this piece of junk: Kaji knew that it had important info on it but he wasn't going to pay that obscene price for a second hand and old tape player.  Meanwhile, someone else was making an observation on the situation

"This guy'd put Swindle to shame" Frenzy said in regards to the pawnshop owner who was trying to sell off Soundwave and the rest of the cassettes

[Silence Frenzy.  This mission requires stealth.  Recommend silence from you] Soundwave, thought, to his young charge

"Sorry Soundwave" Frenzy whispered back and went silent

Kaji in the meantime was arguing with the man who would give aforementioned Decepticon con artist a run for his money: he still refused to pay this outrageous price for the tape player; that was in fact his bodyguards to be.  He had eventually haggled it down to 5, 500 and Kaji paid for it, took the cassettes and player to his car, fuming as he walked.

"I still don't believe I paid that price for this thing.  It better have the phone sex confessions of Gendo Ikari for that price" he growled as he chewed tarmac

Soundwave couldn't help but smirk at the human man's disposition to being parted with his money for them.  If he knew the extra services he and his cohorts would be serving for the man, he'd of paid triple the original price and then some

[He is a man of many faces and lives] Soundwave observed as he went over Kaji's file again, this was one compiled by the Transformers

Kaji had served with the Japanese military for a time as a SpecOps comm-tech but was still well versed in his combat training.  He was now a spy, although there was a great deal of both evidence and speculation about which side he worked for; Nerv or the Japanese Internal Security Agency: he was a spy with many enemies.  Which is why Soundwave, a master of spying and spies was partnered with Kaji.  He knew how the man thought and how he would operate.

[This will require all skills of stealth and covert operating] Soundwave said to himself as he was taken inside Kaji's apartment

"Man, this guy lives like a slob" Rumble observed as he looked through the many cameras on Soundwave's body at Kaji's apartment

Kaji sat them down and pulled out a pen and paper and turned Soundwave on: the spy Transformer quickly pulled up some conversations Commander Ikari had with members of Seele, nothing incredible but enough to interest the spy

"This could be handy later on, but not right now.  Oh well, at least I got a walkman out of it" Kaji said and put Soundwave on his desk and decided to have a nap before work

As Kaji napped, Soundwave sent out Rumble and Ravage to look around the place and case it for cameras and things like that.  Being extra careful, the two small Transformers crept around the room and soon Rumble returned with three camera positions and eighteen microphone placements in mind.  Ravage also found a few in the bathroom as well as some of the most pornographic magazines to grace the surface of the earth

"Put those back, he'll miss 'em" Rumble hissed at the panther

"Grrrrr" Ravage growled as he trotted back to the bathroom to deposit the porno where he found them

"Dirty man" Rumble sighed and jumped back into Soundwave; Ravage joined him a few seconds later

Soundwave spent the next twenty minutes analysing the info his charge's little scouting mission, minus the fact that Kaji had a porn collection to rival the life's work of Larry Flint, this room was impressively bugged and wired up for recording, fortunately Rumble and Ravage had a stealth coating that reflected light in such a way it made them invisible to cameras.

[That was a most useful addition to their abilities.  Wheeljack is to be commended] Soundwave thought as he powered himself to standby mode.

*************************

In the Nerv airbase, a delivery of several planes was being made, 2 F-15's, 1 F-4 Phantom; 1 Harrier; 1 F-16 and a specially refitted Concorde of Commander Ikari's personal use as a transport.  This was Starscream and the Aerialbots being delivered to their place of hiding so they could watch Nerv, and for Starscream more accurately Asuka.  Although Starscream was a little confused.

"How can I protect her if she doesn't spend any time here?" he asked on a bandwidth only Transformers could hear

"I don't know, but you were matched to suit her personality and besides, maybe when she fights you're supposed to go and help her" Air Raid suggested

"Don't worry; Dark Prime watches them most of the time.  And the other one has the Dinobots watching her night and day, well, she will in two days time" Fire Flight pointed out

"True, but still, something about Dark Prime makes my conduits tighten; he scares all hell out of me" Starscream said

"There are only three kinds of Transformers that don't fear Dark Prime, the dead ones, the stupid ones and the ones that haven't met him" Silverbolt said

"Thanks, I think" Starscream muttered and tried to get some sleep before those obnoxious humans came and decided to test fly him

**********************

Rei Ayanami sat on her bed, curled up in a ball to escape the cold that permeated her room from the broken heating unit.  Rei was dreaming about something that she would never think she would dream about: dinosaurs.  Big lumbering brutes of animals that crashed around making lots of noise were rolling around in her head.  Rei woke with a start.

"What was that all about?" she wondered: rubbing her head from a migraine

Rei went and had a shower to try and clear her head of the more than odd dreams.  Dreaming itself was odd for Rei but to be dreaming about dinosaurs was something that was to be considered most unusual, unheard of even.  Rei mused over the strange dream she had just had as she got dressed

"Most unusual" she said to her self as she walked to school

Rei took her place in the classroom as she had done many times before, and looked out of the window as she did all the time.  Slowly the class filled up with students; most of them only casting a passing glance at her or just totally ignored her.  Shinji and Asuka entered the classroom a little before class time; Shinji had a small bruise on his cheek.  Rei's eyes narrowed and she thought not for the first time that Asuka should be taught some respect and common decency.

[She has no respect for anyone, not even herself] Rei thought; she looked up; she felt as if she was being watched

Outside, beyond the fence of the school, Dark Prime sat in a tree watching the three children; his keen red optics tracked them like a hawk its prey.  He had scanned the school three times and so far found no evidence of any recording devices, but there were a few cameras posted in strategic positions around the place.  Presumably for the safety of students

[Heh, this lot are full of shit.  If that's for anything, then it's for them to spy on the kids] he thought

If he were visible, Dark Prime would look a lot like the comic character of Batman: his jet black figure and a flowing cape behind him flapping in the wind and his sword gleaming like silver in the sun.  His broad sword clung to his back: the sword was a relic of Cybertron, named 'Matrexcalibur'.  Its power was greater than any firearm in existence, the handle was black with guard shaped like a demon with its wings out stretched.

"VEHICLE APPROACHING" Dark Prime's internal computer brought an alert to him.

Dark Prime growled and turned his head towards the direction of the car, no, van that was coming towards the school.  A jet black van with no markings other than the kind that gave away what company made it: he shook his head at the lack of creativity of its owners.

[They may as well of painted 'Government Agents' on the side of it] he said and watched it park.

5 guys in black suits climbed out and started making really stupid movements.  Dark Prime watched them with a simple thought on his mind.

[What the fuck are they doing?], he wondered

The agents were looking around as if securing the area; they kept touching their ears and whispering into their sleeves.  They generally looked like a bunch of wankers.  Then they started walking into the school.  Dark Prime changed his vision to x-ray and tracked the agents

"Lets play follow the fuck wits" Dark Prime muttered as he followed them

They were going to the main office of the building, presumably to speak to the principal.  He raised an eyebrow when one of them pulled a gun on the man.  Sighing; Dark Prime got out the only firearm he consented to carry, a sniper rifle.  Taking care to load it with antimatter ammo, he took aim with the multi scope: it locked onto the 5 men quickly and Dark Prime just pulled the trigger five times.

Inside, a very frightened man was staring down the barrel of a silenced .45.  The men were demanded he send for the Evangelion pilots.  He didn't know why and he really didn't care: it was plain to see these men wanted to hurt them.  He was about to give in when five loud bangs ripped through the air, and each man in black in the office dropped dead.  He passed out a minute later.

***********************

Night fell on Tokyo 3 that night with an eerie calm not usually seen in the darkness of this loud city.  In the dark and abandoned streets a single car of nondescript nature glided through the night towards a large building in the city: Tokyo 3 Natural History Museum.  The car slowed to a stop and sat for a minute as if its headlights were eyes.  After he was sure that no one was around; the car then began to change.  Bumblebee looked around again to make sure that no one was around and made his move.

"Oh well, at least I get to break something" he said and gently kicked the loading bay doors open

The Dinobots were waiting for him as planned and they slowly and quietly trundled towards the exit, ripping of the rubber skin Wheeljack had made them wear.  They all looked really relieved to be out of those rubber coffins.

"Ah, it feel good to be in the air again" Swoop said as he did a small barrel roll in the air

"Knock it off you" Bumblebee said and asked the Dinobots to listen to him for a second.

"Okay. I have temporary cloaking devices for you: they will last 24 hours, so go to the base under her apartment, and stay there until the time is right, and I'd like to introduce two new team members" he said and gestured behind him.

Two small transformers walked out of the darkness; one of them stood about two meters tall, the other one only about a meter.  They were both black while the taller one had red highlights and the smaller one had green.  They transformed into their respective forms: the taller one became a dinosaur known as a Velociraptor: a deadly predator and faster than most of them, aside from Swoop.  The smaller one became a smaller still dinosaur called a Compsognathus, he stood only 70 cm tall in dino mode.

"Hi, I'm Raid" the smaller one said

"Death Strike" the taller one introduced himself

"Me Grimlock, leader of Dinobots" Grimlock wasn't going to be stared down by this small rank amateur

"I am Swoop" the flying Dinobot introduced himself.

"Slag" the Triceratops growled

"Snarl" the loner Dinobot said in his monotone

"Me Sludge" Sludge smiled at the newcomers: only Raid smiled back

"Knock that off, you'll get us busted" Bumblebee hissed

All the other transformers aside from Death Strike went silent, he continued to hiss and dart his head around as if hunting something: which he most likely was.  Once Bumblebee handed out the temporary cloaking devices to the Dinobots and their two new recruits; he gave them the directions to the apartment block and the codes to the underground base; Death Strike was the only one that could remember them long enough though.

"Now get going or both Megatron and Optimus Prime will have you're hides" he said and sped off into the night

With little else to say to each other; the Dinobots and Deceptisaurs (the two new recruits were in fact from the Decepticon ranks) donned their devices, except Death Strike who refused to use one.

"It's an insult to my ability as a stealthy hunter" he snarled and began running in the darkness, his obsidian skin blending in nearly perfectly with the night

Shrugging, the others cloaked and followed him in the air.  It took barely twenty minutes for them to arrive at the assigned area; Death Strike was waiting for them by the hidden entrance to the base with a smug look on his face.  The others ignored it and went inside, except Raid.  It was his job to watch her while she was in her home, and he could handle almost any threat that walked through the door.

"Okay, off I go" he said and dashed upstairs.

*******************************************

Shinji woke up from a much disrupted sleep: he kept thinking that someone was pacing around in his room but whenever he opened his eyes, there was nothing.  Groaning from his sleep deprived state, Shinji got up and went to the kitchen to try and make breakfast for his 3 roommates who appreciated him at different levels, Pen-Pen thought he was God because he cooked good food, Misato thought him a hero for doing the laundry and other household chores and Asuka barely tolerated him because he did all the work around the house.

[I wish she'd just treat me better, or at least ignore me; that is preferable to being beaten up all the time] he thought

Shinji cracked some eggs for omelettes: a cheese and onion with curry powder for Misato, bacon and shallots with pepper for Asuka, tuna a mackerel for Pen-Pen and a mushroom one for himself that fine morning.  Dark Prime watched his every move with razor attention; at least that it is what it seemed, but Dark Prime was watching a movie in the corner of one optic.

[Go Conner] he thought, the film was The Boondock Saints

His attention was drawn from his favourite flick of the two Irish avenging Angels with the arrival of the screeching red head who made Shinji's life hell.  He also tracked her but with a different intent; he was monitoring her brain chemistry.  Powerful and advanced sensors in his eyes allowed Dark Prime to observe even the changing chemical balance in the brains of humans: what he saw in Asuka's brain was less than good.  The levels were so far out of whack it was scary.

[She needs fucking help man] he thought and resumed watching his movie

The morning went as normal for the Ikari/Katsuragi/Soryu household: Misato slugged beer, Asuka ranted at Shinji and Shinji took it all in his stride and ignored it, but the same sensors in Dark Prime's eyes saw that Shinji's adrenaline levels were working overtime during this time.  He wanted to rant and scream and throw punches at things.

[He needs to let off steam more often] the Transformer thought.

As before, Dark Prime followed Shinji and Asuka to school, likewise following Rei once they met at an intersection.  Dark Prime radioed Grimlock to see how things were going at the base underneath Rei's apartment block.

"It okay, we a bit board though" he said

"I'll send you a copy of my movie collection; that should fix that" he said, becoming almost animated: the Dinobots were the only others that shared his love of movies

"Thank you" Grimlock replied

"How are Death Strike and Raid going?" Dark Prime asked, getting back to business

"Okay I guess: Raid like to play with us but Death Strike is always working, he no fun" Grimlock lamented.

"Well just leave him be then, he's a solitary guy, it's just his way" Dark Prime responded and signed off.

***********************

At Nerv in Gendo Ikari's office, a discussion was taking place: it involved the 5 bodies in the Nerv morgue with no bullet wounds but was reported to have died of gunshot wounds.  They had been identified as agents of Seele: but Gendo didn't tell Misato that.

"What do we do about them, obviously Section 2 are inadequate to protect the Children if these 5 got into the school" Misato said

"Section 2 are more than capable of protecting them, but it appears that these men were masquerading as Nerv personnel" Kouzou said and brandished a fake Nerv ID badge at Misato

"Do we know what killed them yet?" Misato asked

"No.  All I can tell is that something hit them and practically vaporised their brains, I don't know what yet.  Some weird stuff that was" Ritsuko lit up a cigarette

"I see" she said and retreated to thought.

"The fact remains we have people after our three single most precious personnel and we must stop them" Kouzou said

"I am aware of that; I will give it some thought.  You are all dismissed" Gendo said and waved them out, even his Second

Gendo sat and thought for a long while: he needed the pilots if his mission was to succeed and although he didn't want to do it, he needed to give them some time to unwind and relax and act like kids, and to get them away from the Seele men.  So he came to the displeasing conclusion that he would have to send them on holiday somewhere.  After studying a map of the surrounding area of Tokyo 3, he found a small beach area a few miles away.  It had a nice hotel and other amenities that would be acceptable: theme park, movie theatre etc.

[The main problem is that Rei needs to go to keep up the appearance of equal treatment] he wasn't pleased about that part

He took a breath and made a few phone calls to the relevant people at the hotels and at a bank to set up a temporary account of a few million yen each so that they could have some spending money, again to make it look like he was giving them a vacation.

Gendo wasn't the only one to get wind of this; sitting in his office in the darkest part of his office, lying almost flush with the roof was Laserbeak.  He had been sent by Soundwave to spy on the Nerv commander.  Getting him in there had been a task and a half on its own: he'd shifted him over to Dark Prime, who'd switched Laserbeak with one of Shinji's SDAT tapes, and then waited for Shinji to have a sync test and then he'd left, cloaked himself and hid in Gendo's office since then, transmitting all he saw and heard on a subspace band to Soundwave and through him to ADA Headquarters.

[This is important information] Laserbeak thought as he transmitted the data under a Priority 1 heading.

***************************

In ADA HQ, on the dark side of the Moon; Ultra Magnus received the info on the trip.  As he read it, a small grin appeared on his face.  Cyclonus saw the grin and asked him what he was thinking.  Magnus just chuckled and said

"I think we owe the Seacons and Seaspray a vacation don't we?" he said and called the appropriate Transformers

"Is that a good idea; I mean they have guardians already" he said

"Yeah, but only one of them can actually go with them" Magnus pointed out

"Hmm, true.  Isn't a bit odd to partner the least warrior like of those children with our finest warrior?" Springer asked from his console

"No, they're designed to compliment each other: Rei is overly logical, the Dinobots are all about fun, Asuka is arrogant and Starscream is there to, hopefully, teach her some humility" Cyclonus explained

"Still; why Dark Prime and Shinji?" Springer asked again

"I was hoping maybe he'd inspire the boy into having confidence" Magnus said

"Any of us could do that, what do you want Shinji to inspire in Dark Prime?" Perceptor interjected from his own seat

"I was hoping maybe Shinji could teach him…" Magnus trailed off

"What?" Cyclonus pressed

"Love" Magnus finally finished.

*********************************


	2. Found Out Double Time

On the plane to Yoko Beach, Shinji did nothing but ponder the sheer strangeness of his father's, dare he use the word, _charitable_, actions in sending all three of them on a week long holiday to the ocean.  Although Shinji couldn't swim, he loved the sea; it was soothing and relaxing.  He looked back where Asuka and Rei were; Asuka was plotting to dazzle all the single men on that beach in a way only she could.  Rei on the other hand looked as if she was in for the most boring time of her life.

[I thought she liked swimming] Shinji thought as he tried to hunker down for some sleep before landing.

Outside, several planes flew in guard formation over the 'Concorde'.  Starscream, the rest of the Aerialbots were the escorts and the pilots themselves were traveling inside Silverbolt.  So if anyone tried anything funny they would find themselves on the wrong end of a Cybertronian plasma cannon.

"Okay guys, are we all enjoying our flight?" Silverbolt asked

"Yeah, it feels good to be out and about again" Slingshot agreed

"I don't like having a human in my cockpit" Air Raid grouched

"Keep a lid on it, dickhead" Sky Dive warned his friend

"The lot of you, shut up" Starscream snapped as they began the landing pass

Silverbolt took them in nice and smooth and landed without so much as jolting the tires.  Each of the Aerialbots landed in quick succession with Starscream making one more pass before joining them on the ground: all was safe.  The pilots disembarked and had their luggage collected by Section 2 agents.  Kaji and Misato stepped off the plane after them and stretched: they had been sent as chaperones for the duration of this trip.  Kaji was staying with Shinji and Misato with Rei and Asuka.

"Well kids, look on and enjoy this place for a week; it's yours" Misato said

"Shinji, the unisex nude beach is that way" Kaji winked at the poor boy

"KAJI!  KEEP YOUR BAD INFLUENCES YOU YOURSELF!" Misato screamed at the perverted man

Shinji in the meantime was just ignoring the comment as best he could and carried his hand luggage faster towards the taxi and hopped into the front seat, thus stopping him from being next to Asuka/Rei/Misato in the back seat.  It ended up with his fellows riding in his cab and Kaji and Misato in the other one.  Shinji remained totally still during the trip and at one point the cab driver thought Shinji was dead.  Following in the air was Dark Prime.

[While the gesture is good, I sense ill intentions behind it] he thought as he situated himself in the hotel rooms that housed all the occupants.

*********************

As Kaji and Shinji unpacked their things, Kaji tried to start a conversation up with Shinji.  He had great respect for the boy and admired him for all his courage and all the shit that he put up with, from seemingly every front in his life.

"Shinji, tell me, have you ever drunk before?" Kaji asked

"No" Shinji answered

"Smoked?"

"Cigarettes or Pot?"

"Either"

"No on both"

"Watched a porno?" The lack of an answer on this one indicated that at the behest of his friends that Shinji had endured one.

[Poor boy, must be one of the few straight men that doesn't like porn] Kaji remembered how he'd skillfully hidden his contraband mags as a kid

"Kaji, are you asking me these questions for a reason?" Shinji finally formulated a question

"Yes, I have discovered that you Shinji Ikari; are not very daring.  Granted I don't want you to smoke or take drugs, but I think a beer is something you should try" Kaji said and began rooting around in the fridge

"What?" Shinji was now very confused

"You see Shinji, had you been born in say 1200, you would already be in your advanced training as a samurai" Kaji paused

"Funny, I think you've skipped ahead a bit" he said and chuckled as he found a six pack of Irish Guinness

"I still don't see the point Kaji" Shinji sat on the easy chair

"You need to loosen up a bit.  Now, since you are with a responsible, the term used loosely of course, adult.  You should be able to try a beer" Kaji explained and handed Shinji a cold can of the Irish beer

Shinji looked at the can with great hesitancy and uncertainty: in this can sat a million possibilities; some of them good and others bad.  Alcohol could relax a person and make him more confident and sociable.  It was also a high cause of unwanted pregnancy in young women and deaths while driving and fighting.  It was a double edged sword the liquid in this can.

"Is it safe?" Shinji asked

"Nothing is safe Shinji, there are only varying degrees of danger" Kaji said with a wry smile

Seeing as he had little to loose aside from a few brain cells and some dignity (both of which he seemed sure he had little of anyway), Shinji popped the can open and took a tentative sip.  The beer tasted smoother than he thought it would, it was dark amber almost black in colour.  It was still mighty strong but the slight buzz Shinji's stomach and head felt from it were very pleasant.  The boy sighed relaxed on the chair a bit more.  Kaji allowed him to drink about half the can before taking it off him

"You're still a very small kid, there's less water in your body to break the booze down.  Besides, you're a bit tipsy now anyway" Kaji said and hid the can away

Shinji didn't care: he didn't need this shit like Misato seemed to: he was just a teen experimenting with a beer, and he was being supervised while doing it, so he was in relative safety.  He did heed Kaji's words though 'nothing is safe; there are only varying degrees of danger' and slowly drifted into a nap on his chair.  A knock at the door alerted Kaji to guests: Misato and Asuka

"Kaji, we're off the beach.  Care to join us?" Asuka asked, nearly wrapping herself around Kaji instantly

"Sure, let me get changed" he said, prying the young girl off him.

"Oh, is Shinji asleep?" Misato asked Kaji upon his return

"Yeah; must have been a weird flight for him.  Come on, he's well guarded here" Kaji said

[You have no idea] Dark Prime and Soundwave thought in unison.

So the others disappeared down to the beach for a relaxing swim and a sunbath.  Shinji was content to sit, mildly tipsy in his chair feeling really relaxed and happy for a change.  All the while, Dark Prime sat blinked and grumbling about Kaji getting the poor soul drunk.  Soundwave in the meantime sent Rumble and Frenzy to scout the apartment, but to avoid Shinji until it was ascertained he was asleep.  Rumble looked at Shinji with a funny expression.

"What are you looking at?" Dark Prime asked

"Seems weird, him fighting aliens" Rumble said

"Oh?" said Dark Prime

"Yeah, what's even more amazing is that according to Laserbeak, he's the best of the three" Frenzy put in

"Return to the task at hand" Soundwave ordered

"Ahhh" Rumble jumped and hopped to it.

As they were searching; a knock at the door made them scramble to hide.  After a few minutes the door opened and Rei stepped in; apparently she had declined an invite to the beach and came to enquire as to Shinji's current state of affairs.  She looked around the room, she felt as if she was being watched by something but she didn't know what.

"Where is he?" she wondered and looked around the apartment

[Well, well.  This is interesting] Dark Prime thought as a lurid smile spread across his face.

"Shinji Ikari, are you here?" she called out

"Yeah, is that you Rei?" a voice responded from the other side of the room

"Yes it is me, Pilot Ikari.  Why aren't you are the beach?" Rei asked

"I'm tired, but mainly I can't swim" Shinji said, giggling a little

Rei noticed a slight pink tinge on Shinji's face and since she was sure he wasn't embarrassed just yet, she could only assume one other reason: he was intoxicated.  She blinked: Shinji was not one to engage in drinking; it wasn't in his character.  So she decided to investigate further in the matter.

"Pilot Ikari, how many fingers am I holding up?" she asked, holding up her middle three fingers.

"Three: your index, middle and ring finger" Shinji answered with a grin

[Hmm, he has imbibed alcohol but not enough to sufficiently hinder his senses; I believe this is called a pleasant high] Rei thought as she sat opposite Shinji on another chair.

Dark Prime could hardly contain his laughter as she saw what was going on: he'd commented that Shinji needed to let off steam more often; this was helping immensely.  One fact he found interesting: after Shinji took the beer, Dark Prime had monitored the boy's brain chemistry again and he'd relaxed upon drinking the beer.  What he found most interesting was the increased amounts of bodily relaxants in Shinji's brain were released the instant he heard this girl's voice.

[Oh this is priceless; where is Reflector when you need him] he thought as he watched Shinji, drunkenly, flirt with the other girl.

**********************************

The beach was the most relaxing place any of the three Nerv personnel had been in a long time: warm soft sand and a lovely blue ocean.  The people were friendly and they soon found themselves in a game of beach volleyball with some other swimmers.  They laughed and had lunch on the beach: fried chicken and fresh bread with fruit salad and soft drinks and for a brief time, it seemed like Asuka had become remotely human and seemed laid back and friendly.

"Ah this is the life, it even makes up for us not being allowed to go to Okinawa last month" Asuka sighed from her spot on the sand

"I think I saw a place offering scuba trips on the small reef over near the plaza, how about it?" Misato suggested

"Sounds good" Kaji chimed in

"It's a shame Shinji and Rei are still at the hotel" Misato said

"WHAT??" Asuka shot up from her place on the sand and trained her glare on Misato

"You left those two in a hotel room unsupervised, something could happen!!" she bellowed

"Asuka; do you honestly believe anything will happen, I mean, it's _them" Misato said_

Kaji suddenly felt very nervous: he had left Shinji in a diminished state when he left and he knew that alcohol had strange affects on people and since Shinji wasn't an experienced drinker like himself; anything could happen.  Hastily and sweating, Kaji stood up and announced he forgot something at the hotel and needed to get it

"What did you forget?" Misato asked, her mind already analyzing for a lie

"My cell phone" he said; that wasn't a lie, he had indeed forgotten his cell phone at the hotel

"Okay, don't be too long though" she said and returned to her sunbathing

"Are you really going to trust that pervert with Rei?" Asuka demanded

"Gee Asuka, I thought you had a high opinion of Kaji" Misato teased

"Not Kaji, he's a perfect gentleman.  I mean Shinji" she snapped

"I didn't think you cared about Rei, or is you want to be in her place?" Misato asked

"No, I don't want that little perv touching me" she shrieked

"You want Rei then?" Misato was going to kill herself with these jokes

The resulting shockwave that Asuka's screech caused was felt and heard all across the beach, something along the lines of 'I am not gay' or the like.  Misato however was in stitches in the sand as she laughed at Asuka's discomfort and embarrassment

"Oh calm down Asuka, I'm only kidding with y-" Misato stopped when she saw Asuka was running off.

[Oh hell, I think I went too far there] Misato cringed

"WAIT, ASUKA" Misato yelled but her calls fell upon deaf ears

"FUCK YOU" the girl called back

Misato then made a face; it was highly possible that she had just ruined the week for everyone by making Asuka upset.  Her bad moods made her treat Shinji worse and through that she and Asuka fought more.  Kaji and Rei were just unlucky enough to be caught in the middle this time.

*********************

Back at the hotel, Shinji was staring intently at Rei, more than he ever had before and it made Rei feel a little uneasy but she didn't show it.  Shinji hadn't done anything she would associate with drunkenness: he just seemed a little more confident with his actions and himself.  Eventually Shinji smiled and said, in a real soft voice.

"If you smiled more, you'd be the most attractive girl I know" he said and sat back in his chair

This comment took all occupants of the room by surprise.  Even Rei went a bit pink from the compliment.  Dark Prime was sniggering to himself quietly while Rumble and Frenzy were barely holding onto their own laughs at the comment.

[Oh I am so happy I recorded that] Dark Prime said to himself

"Pilot Ikari, what did you say?" Rei herself did not believe the statement herself

"I said you should smile more, if you did you'd be the most attractive girl I know" Shinji repeated himself

Shinji then leaned closer in to Rei's face, nearly nose to nose with her in fact.  Rei blinked as Shinji smiled softly at Rei and brought a hand up to her face and lightly stroked her cheek.

"You're still attractive though" he said

"Ikari…" Rei was stammering

"Rei, I'd like to kiss you, would you let me do that?" Shinji asked

Now the eyebrows were going up.  Rei felt a surge of heat and feeling the likes of which she'd never felt before in her life.  It was like being sick but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.  Her head swirled uncertainty and fears of the consequences of this idea but she felt her head moving back and forth, a nod.  Then she felt the new sensation of lips on hers: warm and electrifying.

[Well, he did it] Dark Prime was shocked

********************

Asuka kept running from the beach until she was at the air base where they landed earlier that day.  She was still dressed in her red and white two-piece from the beach and it was a bit nippy in the hanger she came across when she finally slowed to a walk and calmed down.  Upon further inspection on the hanger she realised that the planes she was near were the ones she'd seen escorting them to this very area.  She went and sat down by the red F-15 and just let it all go

"No one cares about me, they only use me" she sobbed

[That's not true] Starscream thought

"Hey Buck, check this out.  It's a sad little girl" a drunk, American voice belted out

"Well Billy, what do we do about that" said another man, taking a slug of Whisky

"Think she likes to dance" Billy said

"Well, if she does we do one my girlfriend taught me.  The 'Horizontal Hustle', hehe" Buck made a lunge for Asuka

Normally Asuka would be fast enough to avoid such a clumsy attack, but her running; crying and emotional state had slowed her reflexes to a point where she was caught.  Asuka tried to escape but they were big men and very muscular and they managed to pin her down.  Asuka was sure that something bad was going to happen.

"UNHAND HER, FLESHBAGS" a loud voice rang across the hanger

"What the hell was that?" Buck asked

"STARSCREAM TRANSFORM!" the voice cried

Then they heard what sounded like servos and gears moving and they turned around; and all three were privy to an incredible scene.  The F-15 that Asuka had been leaning on had changed to into a large man shaped robot, although elements of his plane form were still there, the wings and thrusters and air intakes were still visible.  Asuka just blinked and for a minute she thought it was a new kind of Eva.  Her theory was dashed when it scowled and spoke again

"You filth bags" Starscream hissed and held his arm cannons at the two rapists

Before they could even speak, Asuka ran and hid behind a crate.  Starscream smiled and unleashed his weapons tremendous power, the two men were annihilated.  Asuka's heart was pounding and she was so frightened that what ever the hell that thing was would kill her.

"You do not need to fear me human, my name is Starscream.  I was sent here to protect you" he said

"What?" Asuka asked in terror

"I was sent here by my superiors to defend you from harm.  My duty is to guard your life with my own.  I won't hurt you" Starscream said

"How do I know that you aren't lying?" Asuka said

"If my mission was to kill you, I would have waited till those two were finished with you and killed you then, but I intervened and saved you" he rationalised

Asuka realised that he was right and nervously stuck her head around the crate she was behind and saw Starscream: he wasn't making any sudden moves and he was smiling.  His eyes were a red colour but they had a softer hue than expected.  With the nervousness akin to a young child meeting another adult for the first time, Asuka walked over to Starscream.  He smiled and offered his hand to her

"Hello, I'm Starscream" the giant robot said softly

"I'm Asuka" she said

************************

Back in the hotel, Shinji had just broken his lip to lip contact with Rei and the buzz had slightly faded and Shinji became more aware of what was going on and he blinked and shook his head and saw Rei.  Her eyes were still closed and her features seemed more relaxed, also her cheeks were pink.  Shinji's eyes widened with realisation

"Am I interrupting something?" Kaji was in the doorway, leaning smarmily in the doorway

[Oh no, busted big time] Dark Prime thought as he saw Kaji

"I ah, wasn't ah.  It's not what it…" Shinji reversed back into stutter mode again

[Oh boy, give him more booze] Rumble pleaded

"Excuse me Mr. Kaji, Shinji.  I, I have to go now" Rei got up and left, she stared at Shinji for a second, longing in her eyes.

Rei stepped past a now stunned Kaji with a blush on her face and went back to her room.  Kaji shifted his stare between the confused Rei and the semi distraught Shinji.  Now Kaji knew that nothing short of being forced at gunpoint and maybe not even then, would cause Shinji to mistreat a woman so he assumed what happened was totally consensual and that was how it seemed because neither had their hands raised.

"Oh hell, what do I do?" Shinji wondered

"Shinji, I think you just made Rei feel, well, something" Kaji quickly calming the boy down

"Man I feel so stupid" Shinji moaned

"Okay kid, I am gonna go and see Rei now, just to hear what she has to say.  You just be cool" Kaji said

Kaji made a quick exit and knocked on Rei's door.  She opened it a few seconds later and let him in.  Kaji got straight to the point and asked Rei exactly what happened.  Rei explained that Shinji had first asked permission before kissing her and that she was in no danger at all.  Kaji relaxed a bit and said he would leave.  Before he did leave though, Rei made an unusual request

"Please, tell Shinji that I am not angry with him" she wanted to add something more but couldn't find the constitution to say the last part she wanted

"Sure; no problem.  It'll probably relax him more" he replied and left.

Kaji again made the quick trip between rooms and sat down beside Shinji and gave him the kind of hug a father gives a son or brother and calmly explained that Rei wasn't angry with him.  Shinji was still a little upset and confused; if Rei wasn't angry and if she had indeed enjoyed the experience, why did she leave?

"Shinji.  You and I are going to have one of those long man to man talks tonight, starting with a reminder of what I told you about the characters we use for woman" Kaji said to the tense youth

"Huh?" Shinji was still to scrambled to remember what Kaji was talking about

"I told you once that the characters for woman mean 'person on distant shore', remember?" he asked while he made coffee for them both

"Oh yeah, I remember" Shinji said

"Well, in Rei's case, I think those words apply to the highest degree" Kaji elaborated on his point a little bit

"Kaji if it's all the same to you, I think I'll go and talk to Rei myself and then, if she doesn't kill me, take a nap" Shinji said firmly

"Okay, I'll see ya later" Kaji said and wished the boy luck in his mission

[Good luck kid, but something tells me you won't be needing it] Dark Prime said

"Dark Prime, its Silverbolt here.  Starscream has made contact with his charge" the Aerialbot command said in his message

"Excellent, how are they getting on?" he queried

"Well enough; he's telling her about Cybertron now" Silverbolt replied

"Okay, keep me informed, Dark Prime out" he said and cut the transmission

[One down, 2 to go] Dark Prime said to himself

*********************

Asuka sat in the now re-transformed Starscream's heated cockpit and listened to the general information on the set up that was going on here.  So far she gathered that there were at least 7 Transformers in Tokyo 3 that she knew of and many more that she did not know of.  When Starscream finished explaining himself, Asuka asked a question.

"Why did you guys decide to help us, me and my comrades I mean?" she asked

"That is something that I actually do not know.  The decision to help earth here was because of someone else you shall meet in due course" he answered

"Who?" Asuka asked

"Dark Prime, a deadly and highly skilled warrior.  The best one we have.  He is guarding Shinji Ikari" Starscream said

"WHAT??" Asuka screeched

"Hey, watch the audio sensors, they're sensitive" Starscream winced

"How come that idiot gets the best one to guard him?" Asuka seethed

"Well, that's the thing; Dark Prime is a bit of hard case, got a good sense of humour but has about as much love in him as an Angel.  We thought sticking him with Shinji would mutually beneficial" Starscream explained

Asuka relented and just hunkered down in the seat a bit more; she was still tired and drained from the less than ideal day she'd been having and wasn't really interested in going back to the others just yet.  Starscream noticed this and turned up the heating in the cockpit: if she was going to stay there for the evening, she may as well be comfortable.  He gently reclined the pilot seat so it was like a bed and opened a hatch for a blanket and pillow to come out

"Thanks Starscream" Asuka said and went to sleep

"No problem Asuka" the Transformer replied

Asuka then fell into one of the first peaceful sleeps she'd had since she was 5 years old.  No nightmares could reach her while she was in the protective embrace of Starscream; for he would let no harm come to her: that was his mission now as it had been for nearly 150 Million years: Defend Evangelion Pilot Asuka Langley Soryu, with your own life if the need arises.

*******************

Misato was going mad: she had combed the whole area for Asuka and had no luck in finding her at all.  If anything happened to her, not only would she never forgive herself but she was sure that commander Ikari would have her severed head on a silver platter for this debacle.  She was about ready to call in a lockdown of the area and have Section 2 comb the city totally when one of said agents came jogging up to her

"Major, the Second Child has been located.  She is in the airplane hanger at the base we landed at" he said and saluted

"Thank you agent" Misato returned the salute and dismissed the young man and began jogging to that area when she bumped into Kaji

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked, grinning

"Asuka ran off when I took a joke to far" Misato said and went around Kaji and resumed jogging towards the airfield

Kaji watched this all unfold before him and after careful analysis and consideration he came to the conclusion that there was only one appropriate course of action to be taken given the situation: find the nearest bar and get totally hammered: this was going to be the craziest week of his entire life: and he hadn't done anything yet.

"Woe is me" he said and went to nice looking tavern on the beach front.

Back at the hotel; Shinji was in the room Asuka and Rei were sharing, trying to explain to Rei that he felt really bad about kissing her, even though she confirmed that she gave her permission to do so.  Shinji then went on to explain that he had indeed had alcohol beforehand.  Shinji's head dropped and he looked at the floor feel ashamed.  A cool hand touched his chin and made him look up: Rei's

"You are not at fault here, Shinji, I believe it is normal for teenage boys to kiss teenage girls" she said

"When that happens, Rei, there is usually a relationship involved" he said, still shedding tears

"We have a relationship do we not, we are friends" Rei pointed out

"I mean they love each other" Shinji added

"Friends love friends do they not" she reasoned and used her other arms to pull Shinji into a hug: he needed one badly

[Why must a good soul suffer?] she wondered

Rei noticed after a few minutes that Shinji's breathing had become rather regular and even.  She checked him and saw that he had fallen asleep: the combination of alcohol, jet lag and emotional distress had made him highly fatigued and he succumbed to sleep.  Rei considered what the most appropriate course of action was and decided since they were both double beds, she and Shinji could share hers with little problem as they were both very lithe and slim people.

"Good night Shinji" she said and laid him down on the left side of the bed while she got undressed and went to sleep on the right side of the bed

"Oh this is too good to be true" Dark Prime chuckled and sat on the other bed in a cross legged fashion

*****************

Misato reached the hanger as it was getting a little darker and went searching for Asuka.  After finding nothing on the ground she began searching the planes and eventually found Asuka asleep inside the red F-15.  Misato debated for a long time whether or not to wake her up and take her back to the hotel or just leave her there where she seemed safe and comfortable.  After careful thought, Misato decided to wake her up; she'd deal with the consequences later on and knocked on the canopy glass.

"Asuka, wake up" she said

[Heh, that's what you think woman] Starscream thought: he'd soundproofed the cockpit

"Okay fine, I'll drag you out" Misato growled and forced open the canopy.

[Damn you woman] Starscream seethed he was under instructions not to give himself away, so locking the canopy down was a no, no.

"Asuka, come on honey wake up" Misato said softly

"Huh, oh, its you" Asuka said and looked neutrally at her guardian

"I'm sorry about before; I was just kidding around.  Forgive me?" she asked

"Yeah" Asuka broke into a smile: her talk with Starscream had calmed her down and made her feel better

"Thanks, what made you feel better?" Misato asked as they walked back to the hotel

"I spoke to a friend" she said, looking back at Starscream

********************

Kaji, feeling refreshed after his cleansing ales at the local tavern went back upstairs to sit Shinji down and have a manly chat with him; most of his alcohol was in fact bravery shots to actually talk with Shinji since Kaji had never done anything like this in his entire life.  Gulping and vowing to take his mission and any embarrassment like a man, he went in

"Now Shinji…" he stopped when he remembered that Shinji had gone next door to speak to Rei

"Oh, well I guess I'll talk to him when he gets back" Kaji reasoned and sat down on the couch

He hadn't sat down long when he heard Misato and Asuka coming up the hall.  He stuck his head out to say hello.  He was glad to see Asuka was okay and that things had been patched up between the two women.  He asked Misato to send Shinji around when he was done.

"Done with what?" she asked suspiciously

"He went to talk with Rei about something, send him round when ya see him if you could please" Kaji requested again and went back to his couch

His peace and quiet lasted all an extra 20 seconds before Asuka's very distinct voice screamed the word pervert loudly and in 3 different languages; very impressive use of swearing Kaji thought as he ran next door, already dreading the reason for Asuka's scream and then he heard a loud thump and winced.

[Please god, if you have any mercy in you at all, please let that be Asuka] Kaji prayed as he walked in

Sadly his prayers were not answered and he saw (thankfully fully dressed) Shinji laid out cold on the floor and Misato hurrying Rei out of the room in a bathrobe and Asuka wanting to make Shinji into the worlds first living piñata.  Kaji quickly stepped in and saved the boy from a fate worse than death and put him back on the bed.  All this was happening while Dark Prime looked on shaking his head.

[Why can't she just leave him alone] he wondered

"Kaji, get me a scotch.  I think we'll both need them before this evening is done" Misato commanded

"Amen to that" Kaji said

***************************


	3. Race for Truth

While chaos was reigning at Yoko Beach, Tokyo 3 was relatively peaceful: Kensuke Aida was on top of the moon.  He'd won a massive replica P-38 pistol for signing onto one of his military magazines; the model was massive, almost 10 feet high.  But it came in a massive display box and the delivery men put it in his bedroom for him.  Kensuke lived in one of the older Japanese houses and he had quite a large room and it made a great wall feature in his room.  He was basking in his newest acquisition when he got a phone call from Toji.

"Hey Kensuke, can I come over to your house?" he sounded desperate

"Sure man, why, what's up?" Kensuke asked

"My father is having a midlife crisis and has bought a ridiculous car: it was cheap but by hell it looks odd" he groaned

"Sure amigo, come on over" Kensuke said and hung up

Kensuke went into the kitchen and started making a plate of nachos for him and Toji when his mate arrived crying that Kensuke was god and all sorts of odd stuff.  Kensuke went to the lounge room and saw that Toji seemed pretty upset over something.

"Toji dude what's bugging you?" Kensuke asked

"My old man is going though a midlife crisis" he said

"I got that part; and that he'd bought some weird car" Kensuke said chucked his friend a lite beer

"Yeah, this red and orange thing with the biggest god damned yellow spoiler you've ever seen in your life man" Toji grouched and took a swig of the lite beer

"Damn man, but ah, madness prevails here too" Kensuke said

"Huh?" Toji asked in a confused manner

"I won the biggest replica gun you've ever seen mate" he explained

"As in it shoots bullets and shit?" Toji requested confirmation

"No, but I can see all the moving parts and shit.  Very cool" Kensuke said and took a swig of coke.

"Jesus wept, has this whole city gone insane?" Toji wondered aloud

"This is Tokyo 3, Toji, being mad is a prerequisite to living here mate" Kensuke said and slapped Toji on the back

*****************

Hikari was cooking dinner while Nozumi did her homework in her room when she heard a loud noise outside her house.  With a look of confusion and interest she sticks her head out of the window and saw her sister pulling up in this atrocious looking pink and white car that looked like it was ripped off from a B-grade Mexican science fiction film set from the 60's.  But Kodama seemed happy with it

"I hope she didn't spend money on that" Nozumi said in a sickly voice as she saw the car

"Hey hey, who wants to go for a ride in my new wheels?" Kodama asked the others

"Please tell me you didn't spend money on that" Hikari repeated Nozumi's sentiment

"5 yen for the raffle ticket" Kodama said and went to get a drink

"You won the car?" Nozumi asked

"Yep, the Uni ran a raffle and I won, I could not believe it" she said and again tinkled her keys

"So, whose up for a ride?" she asked, smiling devilishly

"Come on Hikari, when do we ever win a car" Nozumi said and skipped out and into the backseat

"Come on sis, you've worked hard this month, you deserve a break and I think a long drive out to the lake and back will do you good" Kodama said

"Okay then" Hikari relented

"But first, get changed.  No school uniforms" Kodama said, being firm on the matter

"Well what do I wear then?" Hikari asked huffily

"Something sultry and sexy, we are gonna be like Thelma and Louise plus 1" Kodama said, shaking her hips in a seductive manner

Hikari just remained silent and went upstairs to her room and got changed.  She got a small midriff tee shirt which revealed enough but not so much that she looked like a slut/popstar and a hip hugging denim skirt.  With a pair of tennis shoes Hikari was ready to go.

[Please god don't let Toji show up at the lake] Hikari prayed as she walked down the stairs self-consciously

"Ah, much better little sister, lets go" Kodama grabbed Hikari and ran to the car

[Why do they insist in wearing such revealing clothing; it's pretty silly at times] Arcee thought as they drove her to the lake

Arcee's thoughts on the Horaki family from her limited contact with and info on them were pretty balanced; Kodama was the wild one, Nozumi was the funny and bubbly one while Hikari was the middle child yet she was the mature studious one.  In her experience with the children of her own race, the middle one was usually the partying wild kind rather than the older ones.

[She will be an interesting person to get to know] Arcee decided

They made it to the lake with no major mishaps and Kodama set out a blanket and some food and drink on the shore and relaxed in the afternoon sun.  Nozumi played in the water and Kodama sun baked while Hikari went for a walk along the lakefront, not as romantic as a beach but it was beautiful all the same.

[Now I wish Toji was here] she thought sadly

To Hikari's total shock, her wish was granted.  Toji appeared from under the water of the lake, startling Hikari so much that she fell down and screamed; a really feminine sound.  Toji shook his head clear of the water and blinked when he saw who he thought was the class rep.  Upon closer inspection, he became sure that it was

"Hi Hikari, what are you doing out here?" he asked as he picked up a towel that was hanging over a tree branch and dried his hair and chest.

Hikari was going redder than beetroot: she had a huge crush on Toji, and having him pop out of the water the way he did in a pair of swim shorts and dripping in water wasn't helping her much.  Toji was now standing over her, offering Hikari his hand.  She blinked at him for a minute before working out that he was offering her a hand up.

"Oh, ah, thanks" Hikari stuttered and accepted the proffered hand

"No problem Hikari" Toji said

"Hehehe" Hikari giggled

"What, what did I do?" Toji asked

"That's the first time you've ever called me by my name" Hikari said

"So it is.  I should do it more often, I like your name" Toji said with a soft voice he rarely used

Hikari was blushing before, now she was giving of light and heat from the comment Toji just made.  Behind a rock, Nozumi was watching her sister and the other boy with a huge smirk on her face.  She may only be eleven but she knew a crush when she saw it.  Giggling a little, Nozumi went back and told Kodama what she was seeing.  The older sister smiled and went for a look.

[My sister has good taste] Kodama thought and snuck away

"Anyway, Hikari; I need to go now.  But next time you feel like a swim, I'll keep you company" Toji offered as he jumped on his bike

"S, sure" Hikari stuttered as Toji peddled off

[Wow] Hikari thought as she rejoined her sisters; both of whom had smug looks on their faces

"What are you two looking at?" she asked

"Hikari and Toji, Hikari and Toji" Nozumi chanted from her safe position in a tree

"I must admit little sister, your taste in men is very good" Kodama said in a low voice with a smirk on her face that could ignite the pope's boxer shorts

"YOU SAW ME?" Hikari shrieked incredulously

"Well, I did first; then I told Kodama" Nozumi said with the big smile only preteen can use.

"Oooh" Hikari fumed and stormed off up to the car

*****************

Later that night, Toji carefully slipped out of his house and into the garage.  He unlocked his dad's weird looking car and got into the driver's seat and started the car up.  His father and grandfather were both at work and used his grandfather's car to go to and from work.  Toji eased the car out of the garage and began driving.

[This will probably be the death of me, but hey, at least its fun] he thought and drove, very carefully to the meeting place.

Toji had gotten involved with an illegal street racing group a while ago: Toji loved car games at the arcade and longed to try the real thing.  So when one of the members he met (by beating him at a racing comp at the local arcade) offered him a go at the real deal he jumped at the chance.  The proviso was he had to bring his own car.  So when his father bought this one, it was a godsend

"Okay, time to see if I've got what it takes to really race with the big boys" Toji said to himself as he pulled up to the meeting area

Toji got out and locked the car, then he went to find Maki; the guy that ran this little operation.  Maki was a tall guy around 17 or 18 with more money than sense and a very fast car.  He was however a very likable guy with a great deal of charm, the kind that makes people believe in him and follow him.  Maki saw Toji and smiled after lighting his cigarette

"Toji my man, finally scored a set of wheels huh?" Maki asked

"Yeah, you could say that" he paused and pointed to the car he came in

"I prefer to call it a clown car but it's got one hell of a motor under the hood" Toji finished and laid down the entry fee for the race: 1; 000 Yen

"Okay, here's your race number.  Get to the starting line" Maki said and handed Toji a plate with a 5 on it.

"Thanks Maki" Toji said and ran to his car

Soon everyone was registered and ready to go.  A girl around Maki's age stood up on a rock and grabbed her scarf and held it aloft.  When she dropped the scarf; that was the signal to go.  Toji breathed deeply and began revving the engine to get the rev counter going.  The air was thick with tension as the deafening roar of engines and music.  The scarf dropped.

[GO!] Toji's mind screamed: he hit the accelerator

Hot Rod was worried and excited at the same time: he was gonna get to have a real good hoon now but he was sure that the boy wasn't a very capable driver at high speeds and he was far too young to be driving anyway.  So Hot Rod told himself that he would take over if Toji lost control of him.

[Okay kid, let's see what you got] Hot Rod thought as he lathered on the speed

The race was on a hill area outside of the city: the roads were very twisted and had lots of steep and sharp curves in them.  This part of the road was nicknamed 'The Helix' and it was a favourite of the racers.  Toji learnt to drive so to speak when he spent a month on an uncle's farm: he started with tractors and by the time he left was able to drive into the town in the Ute for food and other supplies.

"By god you have a good engine in ya" Toji smiled as he poured on the speed and shifted gears to take it up a notch

Then something happened: some oil had been spilt on the road earlier.  Not a lot but enough to cause a problem.  Toji couldn't see it coming and hit it.  The car went into a spin and Toji had no control over it whatsoever: he was shooting towards the edge of the cliff face

"Oh no, I'm dead meat" he said

"No you're not" a voice said, making Toji jump

The brakes on the car slammed on hard, and the car stopped moving totally.  Toji was still shaking when that same voice asked him if he was okay.  Toji just nodded dumbly and asked what the hell was going on.

"Well bucko, my name is Hot Rod, the clown car as you put it.  I, like others of my kind were sent her to protect you.  There are a few other people we guard as well" he explained

"What?" Toji was stunned, as you would be

"First, let me show these punks how to drive.  I've got a trick or two that worked in the Canyon Rally, should do here" Hot Rod said and hooned back into the race

He just sat back and let Hot Rod do his thing: he was obviously better at it than Toji himself was.  As they ran the race, weaving and passing people at an incredible rate; Toji pondered the implications of what Hot Rod told him: why would he need a giant car to look after him, was some kind of madman after him or something.  Soon they approached the finish line and Hot Rod let Toji drive him again as they slowed to claim victory.  Toji opened the window and tried to be as calm as he could

"Can I have my winnings please?" he asked

"Yeah, sure" Maki handed over the money with a robotic movement: he was still stunned that Toji won his first race

"Bye Maki" Toji said and drove off feeling superior

As they drove, Hot Rod decided to question Toji on his foolhardy actions in joining the race.  It took some prodding but eventually Toji decided that he would spill the beans on his reasoning

"My sister is in hospital, she's badly injured and I feel so angry I wanted to hurt the person who hurt her" he said

"Did you?" Hot Rod asked as he pulled to a stop

"Yeah, it was Shinji; my now best buddy.  Anyway I still felt the pain and I knew I couldn't just go around punching people out so I started driving in the sim comps at the arcade" he continued

"Well, go on" Hot Rod prompted

"I beat Maki one day: he was the one who offered me the try at real racing.  And when I started trying it out in trials for the races; I felt the pain go away" he said

"I see; so the rush of you knowing that you could die in this race made your pain leave you" Hot Rod surmised

"Yeah, even when I thought I was going to die I wasn't feeling pain" Toji said

"Toji, I want to show you something but you need to outside me, can you pop out for a minute?" Hot Rod asked

"Sure" Toji agreed and jumped out of the car

"HOT ROD, TRANSFORM" he cried

Toji, like all those who saw this feat of engineering; watched in silence as the car became a robot about the size of a three story building.  He had a youngish appearance as if he himself were a teenager like Toji was.  Hot Rod smiled and sat down cross legged.

"Hi man, I'm Hot Rod.  Your bodyguard from here on in" he said and smiled at his young charge

"W, wow" Toji was amazed

"Yeah I get that a lot" Hot Rod said; then he felt something in his windshield

He plucked out the offending item and saw a picture of Arcee's charge: Hikari Horaki and he suddenly felt the boy's affection as he himself had a connection with Arcee that was a bit one way.  He looked at the wide eyed boy

"A sweetheart eh, you devil" Hot Rod teased

"Back off man" Toji got heated

"Whatcha gonna do dude?" Hot Rod teased him again

"Oh you're dead" Toji jumped at Hot Rod

Hot Rod merely dodged around the boy's lunges and chuckled as Toji tried time and time again to catch him with little or no success until Toji just gave up in a huff and sat down to grumble about damn big robot cars.  Hot Rod sat down beside him and asked him if he wanted to know anything

"How many of us are being protected like this?" Toji asked

"Eight of you.  I don't know the reasons myself but my guys don't do this sort of thing for no reason" Hot Rod explained

"Who?" Toji pressed

"Well, you of course, your buddy Kensuke, Shinji Ikari, Hikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Soryu, Misato Katsuragi and Ryouji Kaji" Hot Rod said

"Well I can understand everyone bar Kensuke, Hikari and myself.  Why are we so important?" Toji asked

"I don't know.  You wanna go home Toji?" Hot Rod said

"Yeah, I'm tired" he answered

Hot Rod transformed back to a car again and Toji got in the passenger side seat.  Hot Rod created a hologram for a driver so as not to arouse suspicion as they drove.  The ride was quiet and peaceful and they got home without incident: luckily Toji's father and grandfather were still at work when they arrived home.  Toji stepped out and stretched himself and thanked Hot Rod.

"Toji, suffice to say you cannot tell anyone about me, except those who have already made contact with their guardian, and so far only Asuka has met hers" Hot Rod said

"Oh man, not the red devil anyone but her" he groaned

"Sorry dude, but you can come and talk to me any time you want" Hot Rod said

"Hot Rod, how advanced is your medical technology?" Toji suddenly got his with inspiration

"Pretty damn good, why?" Hot Rod senses he knew where this was going though

"Can you repair a spinal cord, a human spinal cord?" he pressed

"Probably" Hot Rod answered: he definitely knew where this was going

"Can you guy heal my sister's spine.  She can't walk or anything like that any more" Toji pleaded

[Oh boy, you can play that guilt card like a pro] Hot Rod was debating what to do

"I'll talk to my medic buddy, if we can help you we will" Hot Rod promised

"Thanks" Toji was very grateful for Hot Rod's help

"No problem kiddo" Hot Rod replied

Toji went inside and got ready for bed: he was tired and sore from the race but he was also filled for the first time in a while, with hope.  In the short time he'd known Hot Rod, the Transformer had become like a brother to him and he was very thankful for it.  As he lay down to sleep, knowing a robot with the strength of a million men was out there looking after him and his closest friends made him feel better.

"We may survive the war yet" he said and went to sleep

****************


	4. Not All That Burns is Fire

****************

The next day at Yoko Beach was brought in with anything but normalcy: the previous night after he'd regained consciousness, Shinji had been poked, prodded and interrogated and that was before Misato had started, that was all Asuka.  While he didn't want Kaji in trouble, Kaji had said it was better if Misato knew why he drank the beer.  Although Kaji wore a lot of heat for it, most of the blame then shifted from Shinji.

"What a hellish night" Shinji said as he got up

[Aside from waking up beside Rei, come on you know you liked that] his inner voice said to him as he had a shower

Shinji blushed at the memory, brief that it was of being woken up and seeing Rei in the bed with him, not more than a foot away from him and nude: upon reflection Shinji was sure that had Asuka not punched him out, he would have collapsed of blood loss.  Yet in that moment, there were no typical thoughts yet an immense feeling of peace and contentment the likes of which he'd never felt before.

"What was with that; I felt like I was flying" he wondered aloud

Shinji was unaware that in the next room, someone else was having the exact same mental self questioning session he was.  Rei had been given a stern talking to by Misato last night for her behaviour, but her over logical answers to Misato annoyed the woman, save one.  When asked how she knew Shinji wouldn't try anything, even with alcohol in his system, Rei answered 'I have looked into his soul, Major; I know that evil does not reside there'.

"Waking up with him in close proximity; it made me feel…" she searched for an appropriate word

"Safe" she found one

Rei continued to get dressed in silence but she continued to ponder the boy she knew in ways no one could imagine: she had seen his world through his eyes heard it with his ears.  She had for a brief second ceased to be Rei Ayanami and become Shinji Ikari.  She heard reports that a similar thing happened to Shinji just before her Eva went crazy.  So she found it no surprise that she found is company more agreeable than most other people's.

"Come on Rei; we're off to go scuba diving today" Misato yelled from the main room

"I am coming major" Rei answered and tied her shoes on

Rei felt slightly uncomfortable with her attire: Misato had insisted no school clothes on the trip so this leads her to take Rei shopping for clothes.  Rei was wearing her swimsuit underneath a pair of khaki shorts and a light blue sleeveless shirt and sandals.  Misato also insisted on a hat since Rei's skin was very fair, it would burn very easily.  That Rei saw logic in and they got a large wide brim sun hat

"Okay everyone, let's go" Misato cried

"Yeah, here we come" Asuka smirked and jumped up and down

"Coming" Rei was less enthused than the others as she walked downstairs

Shinji (who was avoiding eye contact with any of the females on this trip) and Kaji who was still sporting a hangover and a red face from the numerous slaps Misato had given him.  Both men were to say the least not incredibly happy with the situation and looked like hell.  Dark Prime was standing behind them thinking about the previous evening

[What a damned mess that was] he groaned as he followed the group to the scuba diving boat, at which point Dark Prime radioed the Seacons

"Guys, they're heading for your territory now, keep em safe or you answer to me, Starscream and the Dinobots" he warned

"Don't worry DP, we won't let them die" Snaptrap promised

"Good" Dark Prime changed signals to speak with Seaspray

"Seaspray here Dark Prime" Seaspray's gurgling voice entered Dark Prime's head

"Keep an eye on the boat that's heading out towards to reef; our three top priority people are on it" he explained

"Okay" the bubbly nautical robot replied

[Ack this is so annoying] he growled to himself and floated to see Starscream and the Aerialbots.

He floated in and sat beside Silverbolt and exchanged information.  Dark Prime wasn't sure if he was going to relax as much as he wanted when he saw a black spot on the ground.  He looked at Starscream who said nothing but whistled innocently: a sure sign of guilt

"Dare I ask, Starscream" Dark Prime said

"They tried to hurt Asuka, nuff said" the seeker insisted

"Okay, I don't want to know" he waved his original question off and just lay down

"A tough night?" Air Raid teased

"Screw you wing boy" Dark Prime groaned

The Aerialbots and Starscream just chuckled at their comrade as he rested: looking more peaceful than he usually did.  Starscream was beginning to think that the boy Shinji was having an unconscious effect on the rough as guts warrior, even in small ways Dark Prime had begun to change.  They were seeing that Dark Prime was (ever so slightly) becoming nicer.

"Good job kid" Silverbolt said quietly

*****************

The boat took the five holiday makers to a nice coral reef a few hundred meters from the shore.  The instructor gave them a quick run down on how to use the equipment.  Asuka, Kaji and Rei were the only ones who were going to go scuba diving anyway so Misato and Shinji were left to their own devices.  After the instructor and the others went under, Misato turned a careful gaze on Shinji

"Okay Shinji; tell me the truth about the other night" Misato said

"It happened as I said.  I was talking to Rei, and I feel asleep on the bed.  Then I was woken up, assaulted and interrogated" Shinji said, some bite in his answer

"Okay, but, from someone who cares about you: I want to make sure you're safe" Misato said in a soft voice

"Okay, but keep this to yourself" Shinji asked

"I promise I will.  Now, go on" Misato leaned back in her chair with a Pina Colada

"Well, Kaji gave me half a beer.  When Rei came in, I said she was beautiful.  Then I asked her if I could kiss her" Shinji recounted the first part

[If I knew all it would take to get him to finally do that was a beer I'd of done it long ago] Misato thought to herself

"Anyway, by the time I, we'd finished kissing, Kaji had come back and his presence, ruined the moment" Shinji couldn't say that without going a bright shade of red

"Rei left after that with a sort of dazed look.  Then after a short conversation with Kaji, I resolved to fix my own mess for a change" Shinji said, this time his voice was low, almost shameful

[Come on Shinji, you played fair and nothing _too_ untoward happened] Misato thought

"I apologised to Rei but she explained that I wasn't at fault.  I disagreed and we had a short talk about our relationship and I feel asleep.  Rei must have put me in her bed, cos that's where we were sitting" Shinji finished

"I see, then explain to me why Rei was not wearing any clothes" Misato reminded Shinji of the major piece of evidence against him

"Oh Rei sleeps in the nude" Shinji dropped that intimate detail without realising

"How do you know that?" she asked, a big smile on her face

"I ah, oh it isn't, um" Shinji stuttered nonsensically after he realised he'd revealed something very exact about someone that few knew anything about

"Forget it, I don't want to know.  Just, please be gentle with her" Misato said before going to the fore section to look out at the sea

"I will" Shinji muttered to himself

"Maybe this trip won't totally fall flat after all" Misato said and smiled to horizon

**********************

Under the water, Rei was having the most enchanting time of her life; although her face betrayed nothing, she was filled with a sense of wonder and humbleness: this mighty coral reef was older than all the people she knew put together: and it still survived today.  She longed to touch it but she wasn't allowed to due to the fragility of the reef.  It was bright and full of colours.  Rei even managed to tolerate the red coral as it blended in seamlessly with its yellow, green and blue brethren

[This is so wondrous, I never knew such beauty existed in nature on this planet] this was not Rei's thought but that of Overbite, one of the Seacons

[This is most beautiful] Rei thought as she ran her hand over the coral in such a way that if followed the contours but did not touch the coral itself

The ocean and all that existed inside it fascinated Rei; to her the ocean was how life should work: everything had an ordered place in the ocean from the smallest fish to the biggest whale, even the humble seaweed had a role to fill.  Rei suddenly became aware of eyes watching her and she turned around: there was nothing there.  A few feet below her, Overbite was sighing in relief

[Damn, she nearly caught me, not bad for a human] the shark thought as he continued to observe her

[Something, odd, is going on here.  I feel as if I am being watched all the time] Rei was getting irritated, no easy feat

"Okay guys, we need to go back to the surface now, the tanks will be getting low" the guide's voice crackled over the radio

The group then began its accent to the boat.  They were helped back on by Misato.  Asuka was jumping up and down about what a great time she had doing that.  Kaji stretched out and grabbed a soda and took a swig of it and looked towards the horizon, where a lone Misato stood on the fore.

"Well, go on" Shinji said

"Excuse me?" Kaji said

Shinji didn't say anything else and returned to just relaxing in the sun with his SDAT and a drink.  Kaji had to smile; the boy was getting a little more confident with himself and was now offering HIM advice on women.  Kaji let out some breath, Shinji was right though

[Okay Ryouji Kaji, time to prove that you are a man, and a man does not run from anything] he steeled himself up and walked over to Misato

Rei asked the instructor if it she could go back in the water and see the reef again.  He said that the air refills were on the shore, but she could go snorkelling if she wanted to.  Rei blinked so the man gave her a quick run down on what that was.  Rei said she would do that, it sounded like it was okay.  She was given a pair of goggles and a snorkel.  Quickly donning the devices, Rei returned to the water

*******************

Rei was now finding out the hard way why Misato had made a fuss about her skin being so fair before: her swimsuit had a low back and she had neglected to use sunscreen when she went snorkelling that day and as a result her back was almost as red as her eyes.  Having never been sunburnt before, Rei made the mistake of lying on her back when she got home.  She was never going to do that again.

"Okay everyone, dinner at the Mitsirugi Club tonight" Misato cried and came out of her room wearing an outrageous party dress

"Oh cool, a real club for a change" Asuka ran to get into something she'd been saving

"I think I'll stay here, I like cooking my own food" Shinji said and edged towards the door

"Your loss" Misato shrugged and grabbed Kaji

"Asuka, let's go" Misato called out

"Coming" Asuka grouched and traipsed out in a strapless shirt and a jeans skirt

"She gets it from you ya know" Kaji whispered to Misato

"Shut up.  Let's go!" Misato yelled

With those final words, the trio left the hotel: Shinji who had just simply frozen in his place when Asuka came out finally started to move.  He finally stopped holding his breath and began to open the door when he heard a barely audible whimper.  Turning around Shinji saw that Rei was lying topless on her bed and her back was practically glowing in the dark.

[That looks painful: I better help her] he thought and went into the bathroom

"Excellent" Shinji smiled when he saw the bath was very wide, almost a meter wide in fact.

"Okay, some cold water and some white vinegar" he said as he put the plug in and ran the cold water

He found some white vinegar in a cupboard in the kitchen and put a few drops in the cool water: since this stuff stopped mosquito bites from stinging, he figured that it may work on sunburn too.  He turned off the water and went to begin the most difficult part of his plan: actually getting Rei into the bath.  He gulped and knocked on the door

"Yes?" she answered him, a little terse because of the pain in her back

"Rei, I have something that can help you with the pain, if you want" Shinji offered

"You do?" Rei's eyes widened and she sat up and Shinji did a fast 180

"Yeah, a bath of cold water and white vinegar: the water will cool the skin and since the vinegar is an alkaline, it should stop the stinging on your back too" he explained, sweat running down his face

"That sounds, appropriate" she said and put a towel around her neck so that it covered her chest

"Ikari, are you sunburnt too?" she asked when she copped a look at Shinji's face

"No, just hot" he said

"What is?" she asked, a little confused

"You are--I mean I am" Shinji was making all the mistakes tonight

[Shit, not having a good time of it are ya kid] Dark Prime was watching him, as always

Rei just chose to discard Shinji's odd comment and continued to the bathroom where relief was supposed to be.  Rei checked the temperature of the water: biting cold.  She then carefully got into the water: the effect was almost instant: the stinging died down by almost half and the heat on her back almost disappeared.  Rei closed her eyes and let the water and vinegar do its work and soon fell into a relaxed nap

[That back will need some kind of cream before she goes to sleep] Shinji gulped as he realised that he was going to have to apply said treatment

"Rei, I'm just going down to a chemist, I won't be more than a few minutes" Shinji called out

"Okay" she replied, a fatigued tone in her voice

"Soundwave, send Ravage around.  Full stealth mode, Shinji needs to go out for a few minutes and I got to follow him" Dark Prime said

"Affirmative Dark Prime" Soundwave replied

As Shinji opened the door to leave the room, Dark Prime saw via thermal imaging that Ravage was here.  Satisfied that Rei was safe, Dark Prime followed Shinji down to the local pharmacy to get, well, whatever it was Shinji was buying there.  Shinji arrived and began perusing the various remedies for sunburn when a pharmacist came up to him

"Can I help you, young man?" he asked

"Yeah, a friend of mine has sunburn on her back, pretty severe too.  I need like a soothing cream" he said

"I see; does your friend have very fair skin?" the man asked

"Yes, very fair, she's albino" Shinji answered

"My, my.  Well, the best remedy for that kind of sunburn is aloe vera plant, or an extract gel but I recommend fresh plant" the old man told Shinji where a stall for such things was

"Thanks, I'll get there as quick as I can" he said and turned to leave the store

"She's a lucky girl" the old man said

"It isn't like that" Shinji explained

"Trust me when I say this, but that really is what they all say" he chuckled as Shinji jogged away

Shinji found the stall and explained why he needed the aloe vera plant and the vender was more than happy to give him the plant for a smaller than normal price.  Shinji thanked her but stopped and turned to ask the woman why she was helping him.  The woman smiled and said

"In this world a long time ago, there were men like you, good and decent men who believed in honour.  Even then they were few, now they are fewer.  I try to help the ones I find as best I can" she said

"Thank you again" Shinji said and laid the full price down on the cart and ran off before the woman could protest

"May all the spirits of this world grant him protection and safety" she prayed

[Don't worry about that, we've taken care of it] Dark Prime heard the prayer, and as far as he was concerned, he was the answer

***********************

The Mitsirugi Club was pulsing with good music, food, drinks and people and Asuka and Misato and Kaji were having a good time.  The dinner was superb and the dance floor was full of polite and fun people.  Even Asuka found a few younger men with which to enjoy a friendly dance on the floor with.  Misato and Kaji mainly danced with each other but occasionally broke off for other prospects.

"This is a nice place" Asuka said and drank her lemonade and raspberry

"I agree, this is a very nice club" Kaji agreed

"You should know; you've been to a few below this standard" Misato shot

"That was low, Katsuragi" Kaji made a show of being hurt

"I know" she giggled and drank her martini

"Barkeep, another coke" Kaji grumbled

"Why not indulge in a beer sir?" the barman asked

"Cos I got to look out for these lovely ladies here, I can't be to careful" Kaji said and drank the sugary drink

"Fair enough" the man said and gave Kaji his drink

They danced into the night and had a good time; so much so that Misato drunkenly suggested that they all run away from Nerv and stay at Yoko Beach forever.  Asuka and Kaji smiled in indulgent agreement.  At around midnight, they decided to go home.

*****************

Shinji returned to the hotel with the medication: he found that Rei was still in the bath but the water had become tepid.  Shinji knocked on the bathroom door and told Rei that he had something that could help her before she went to bed.  Rei said she would be out in a minute.  Shinji used this time to prepare the medication.  He heard the swoosh of a door and turned: Rei was wrapped in her towel

"What are you doing?" she asked

"I got a lotion to rub on your back, it should help you" Shinji said, averting his gaze from Rei's scantily clad form

"What do I have to do?" she asked

"I put a few pillows on the floor, you need to lay down so I can rub the lotion onto your back; I'll be careful" he said

"Very well" Rei agreed and went to her room

[Oh God this is nerve racking] Shinji then chuckled at his own joke as Rei reappeared in a pair of tracksuit pants, but no shirt.  He averted his eyes

"Please, lay down" Shinji said, blushing heavily

"Okay" Rei lay down so her upper body and head were on the pillows

"Okay, this may sting a little, but it does help" Shinji promised

Rei nodded and clenched her hands.  Shinji broke off a large piece of the plant and split it open as he had been instructed.  The gel inside the leaf was thick and sticky with an odd smell.  Shrugging, he gently placed the open leaf on Rei's skin, which was far less inflamed than when she got in the bath.  Shinji felt her body tense up as the aloe was applied to the skin but after he began rubbing the aloe she relaxed a bit more.

"I know this is uncomfortable; but it's the best treatment" he said off hand

"The water and vinegar worked very well.  This seems to help also" she replied

"The pharmacist also recommended that if you have a ceiling fan, to turn it on and leave it on full power with the burnt skin exposed to the fan" Shinji began babbling as he got further up her back

"Shinji, you are shaking" Rei said, a slight smile on her face

Rei giggled silently when Shinji stiffened and checked his indeed shaking hand.  Shinji felt very ashamed for feeling the feelings he had when he was trying to help someone.  Rei sensed Shinji stiffen and she turned her head towards him; in her eyes was warmth the likes of which Shinji had never seen in the girl.  She reached out with her hand and brushed her fingers across his cheek

"You are in much pain" she whispered

"I'm used to it by now" he said and smiled sadly

"You shouldn't be" Rei replied

"I've nearly finished putting the aloe vera, how is your back?" Shinji asked

"Better, much better than before you helped me, thank you" Rei replied

Shinji felt like his heart was soaring again; he'd actually helped someone rather than hurt them through his actions and they were genuinely grateful for it.  Shinji felt as if he got a lot of false gratitude for his Eva piloting, they were thankful to be alive but it wasn't as if people stopped him on the street and said thank you to him, or the others.  He told Rei he was finished and that he'd help her get to her room

"Thank you again, Ikari" Rei said

"Ayanami, please, call me Shinji" he asked

"I can only agree to that if you have sufficiently earned my trust" she said

"I understand" Shinji said and cast his eyes down

"You have earned it, you earned it when you piloted in my place when you first arrived, Shinji" she said

"Thank you Ayan…" Shinji was cut off

"I hope I have earned enough trust from you for you to use my name" she said

"Of course you have, Rei" Shinji said

[If anyone walks through that door and disturbs this, heads will roll] Dark Prime thought

Shinji helped Rei get into bed, a remarkable feat since he was looking to his left most of the time and trying to ignore the small breast that was pressing into his right side.  Fortunately for Shinji he only had to move Rei a few feet so he was able to survive with his sanity totally intact.  He gently put Rei on the bed and went hunting for the switch to the ceiling fan he saw in the room.  He found it and turned the fan on full power

"There, with the water, the aloe vera and the fan, your sunburn should be nearly gone by tomorrow" Shinji said and began to leave the room

"Stay" Rei uttered a single word, yet stopped him with the power of thousands

"You want me to stay?" he asked

"Yes, please" Rei asked

Shinji nodded and sat down on the floor beside the bed and leaned against the bedside locker.  Rei frowned slightly and asked him what he was doing.  Shinji realised that Rei wanted him to be closer.  He sat and debated in his head whether the inevitable repeat of what happened last time he was caught close to her was worth the feeling of utter happiness he got from the closeness: he decided it was.  Breathing deeply and gathering all the courage he could muster, Shinji climbed onto the bed and laid beside Rei

"Thank you" she said

"For what?" Shinji asked

"For not abandoning me" Rei replied and closed her eyes, letting the cool air and Shinji's presence lull her to sleep

Shinji then noticed that Rei was on her side, her back was thankfully facing him and he sighed with relief and rolled over as well, shuffling closer to Rei in the process however.  Without thinking he grasped one of her hands and gave it a gentle squeeze; which Rei returned with a small squeeze of her own.  This one act seemed to coerce the pair into sleeping calmly, with Dark Prime watching them: and heaven and earth would not move him.


	5. Origins and Crash Course in Meetings

A/N

Invincible Titan wished to know if I could explain in this fic how Shinji and Rei aren't related; I believe below I have a satisfactory answer

************************

Rei was laying in bed when a single thought crossed her mind: what if Shinji found out what her origins were.  Rei was sure that Shinji would leave her, never speak to her and maybe even let her die in battle if he found out about her.  Dark Prime however was possessed of the ability to read minds much like Soundwave was and he heard that, so he decided to fix it

"Here goes nothing" he mumbled and gently touched Rei's head and entered her mind

Rei felt a slight tingly feeling on her forehead but ignored it.  Then she felt as if there was someone else in here head and she tired to open her eyes.  She did but she was in a large room made totally of metal with computers and devices she could never conceive to know about everywhere

"Welcome, Rei Ayanami, to Cybertron" Dark Prime said and bowed

"Where am I?" she demanded

"We are in your head: I put you in deep sleep so we could chat" Dark Prime replied and sat down on a chair

"Let me go, Angel" Rei said

"Hahaha, I am no Angel.  I am very different, possibly older than them, but I don't know" he said and rose Rei up

"Who are you?" she asked

"That can wait for another time, right now, allaying your fears is my goal" Dark Prime said

"What fears?" Rei asked

"That you are related to Shinji, because I can assure you here and now that you are not" he said and put what looked like a cigarette in his mouth and lit it

"How do you know?" she asked

"You were told that you were made from the remains of Unit 1's original pilot, correct?" he asked, blowing a black smoke out in a thin stream

"Yes, that is Shinji's mother" Rei answered

"Well, you're half right.  Unit 1's original pilot was Yui Ikari, but her remains are buried at her grave.  Even Gendo doesn't know that" Dark Prime grinned

"Then, how am I here?" she asked

"I switched Yui Ikari's remains with a sample of a biosynthetic mass made from someone else's tissue and nanobots.  I made sure of that myself" was her answer

"So I'm even less human that I thought I was" she said and lowered her head

"You cry, feel pain; feel love, laugh, smile and bleed.  I think you're as human as they come" Dark Prime reassured her

"How do I know this isn't a lie?" Rei asked

"When you wake up after we are done here: there will be a short ten minute break where you remember this conversation; in that time, prick your finger and let a few drops of blood out and say 'cease false signal', and see what happens" Dark Prime explained

"I see" Rei answered

"Well, that about covers the purpose of our visit, goodbye Rei: do remember what I said"

"Will I remember my own proof against my fear?" she enquired

"You won't even think of it, all you will remember is that which you have known for a long time" he said, smiling

"That I love Shinji" Rei affirmed

"Bingo sweetheart" Dark Prime took another drag as he spoke

"Why are you doing this?" Rei asked the most pertinent question

"I am gifted with many powers: one of which is seeing possible futures; and the future where that boy ends up with you is his best hope for happiness" Dark Prime paused and looked at Rei

"And the same applies to you; the best future I foresaw for you was with him: it is in my best interest to see that you are happy.  Ciao" Dark Prime clicked his fingers and Rei woke up

[The test] Rei carefully unclenched her hand from Shinji's and went into the bathroom and got a pin and pricked herself

Rei let the blood make a sizable pool on the counter and then put a band aid on her finger.  She was filled with anticipation about what she was told by the mysterious figure in her head about how he had helped her and Shinji so they could be together.  Breathing in, she uttered the words before her time ran out

"Cease false signal" she said

Before her very eyes; the once read blood turned a silver colour, shaping up much like mercury or molten silver.  Rei stared at the substance as it swished and, beeped.  Rei blinked, it beeped at her.  Then it began to smoke and bubble.  Whatever it was, it was burning up and leaving, real blood in its place.

"Amazing" she whispered

Rei spent the remaining three minutes contemplating what she had just seen: it was apparent that another power was at work on Earth in the business of taking care of it, question was: were they to be trusted and would they reveal themselves if they had to.  She also wondered how Commander Ikari would take this news if he were to hear it.

[This situation is beyond…] her thoughts stopped as her brain seemed to reset itself

"What am I doing out of bed?" she asked herself

"Maybe I was sleepwalking.  I better get back to bed" she surmised and walked back to her bedroom

Shinji was still asleep but he seemed less relaxed than last Rei remembered him being: she was sure it was because she was gone.  With a tiny, tiny smile Rei lay back on the bed and embraced Shinji, this time she was pressed right up against him, although he did not notice.  Dark Prime smiled and in his heart, he knew he had done the right thing all those years ago

"Watch them Ravage, I shall guard outside the door" he said and let the invisible robotic panther in to guard the couple.

************************

Hikari got up at 6 o'clock and wearily turned off her alarm clock.  She trudged towards the bathroom for her shower: the one advantage of being up early was that she got to have a long shower.  Her shower completed, Hikari got dressed and went to make breakfast for her sisters.  Pretty soon, Kodama came down the stairs and said hello.

"Hi Hikari, what's for breakfast?" Kodama asked

"Toast with jam and orange juice with a small fruit salad" Hikari replied

"Sounds great" Kodama mumbled and dug in

"Hi Hikari" Nozumi beamed and practically inhaled her breakfast

"Kodama, can you give me a lift to school please?" Hikari asked

"Sure, no problem I don't start my lessons till eleven anyway" her sister said and drank her coffee

"Thanks" Hikari relaxed a little

"Bye" Nozumi raced out the door before anyone realised she was done

"How does she do that?" Hikari asked

"12 year olds have mystical powers, Hikari, and we loose them upon turning 13.  After that though, we women gain stronger powers over men" Kodama said and read some of the paper

"Does that count as sisterly wisdom Kodama?" Hikari asked as she packed her bag

"No, just stating a simple fact" the older girl replied airily and looked at her watch

"Come on, if you want to be at school on time, we need to get going" she said and got her keys

"Okay, let me just get my bag" Hikari jogged up the stairs and got her school bag and books

She jumped into the car beside Kodama and belted herself up for the long ride to the school.  The radio was playing Cat Stevens, and the song was a favourite one of Kodama's so she turned it up and started singing along with it.  Hikari was being lulled back to sleep by the gentle strains of the music and Kodama's soft singing.  Kodama got so deep into singing the song that she didn't see the drunk driver swerving around the corner until it was too late

*CRUNCH*, the two cars impacted with a sickening noise, Hikari and Kodama were thrown about and if not for their seatbelts they would have been thrown from the convertible.  Now out of hibernation mode, Arcee was more worried about her passengers than her bodywork because Wheeljack would easily fix that, but humans were slightly more delicate than her so she focused her energies on keeping them safe.

[Damn drunks, they should all be killed] Arcee growled

She'd managed to right herself quickly and put on a dampening field inside herself to keep Hikari and Kodama from cracking their skulls open or breaking any other bones but it didn't stop Kodama from being knocked out and giving Hikari a concussion.  As they settled, Arcee could sense that Hikari was falling asleep, which was dangerous for someone with concussion.  Seeing no other option, Arcee chose this time to reveal herself to Hikari

"Hikari, don't you dare fall asleep, you have a concussion and falling asleep could put you in a coma" she said sternly, her voice was loud enough that it wouldn't draw anyone other than Hikari's attention.

"Wha, who said that?" Hikari asked

"My name is Arcee, Hikari, I was assigned to protect you and that includes stopping you from falling asleep now" Arcee raised her voice

"Where are you, I can't see you" Hikari said

"You're sitting in me; I'm a being known as a Transformer.  I can turn into a robot from the car you're sitting in.  Now get your mobile and call the ambulance" Arcee was nearly screaming now

"Okay" Hikari was getting more active now and grabbed her phone and rang for the ambulance

"Where do you need the paramedics?" the woman asked

"Matsu Street" Arcee whispered to Hikari

"Matsu Street please, my sister's out cold and I think I've got a concussion" Hikari said, remembering what Arcee had said to her

"Okay, you need to keep yourself awake until the paramedics get there; they should be about 3 minutes max since you're close to a hospital, so sing, move, anything to stay awake" the operator said

"Yeah, will do" Hikari said and hung up and shook her head to clear it from fuzziness

"Okay, you stay awake.  I'll be damned if I'm going to let you die on my shift" Arcee growled and sent a massive vibration through the seat

"Hey!" Hikari said, indignant at the action

"Good; I can hear the sirens; the paramedics won't be long" Arcee said and continued to harass Hikari to stay conscious with jokes and prods

"Come on, what would Toji think of you giving up so easily: such a strong young woman" Arcee jibed

"Hey, leave him out of this" Hikari snapped

"Ah it seems I have hit nerve" Arcee said smugly

"Why you…" Hikari trailed off when she saw a medic approach her

"Hi, my name is Masako Yamamoto, what's yours?" the medic asked

"Hikari Horaki, my sister's name is Kodama" Hikari groaned and tried to move

"Okay, careful don't try to move" Masako said and started administrating treatment for the concussion

"What about my sister?" Hikari asked

"She'll be fine; Yoshi is a senior medic" Masako reassured her

"Thanks" Hikari said and tried as best she could to help Masako as she got out of the car

"Okay, the car seems okay but we'll get it towed for you anyway" Yoshi said the unconscious Kodama

The pair was loaded into an ambulance.  Yoshi got in to drive while Masako jumped into the back to keep Hikari from going into shock.  Hikari seemed to be highly agitated about something.  Out of curiosity, Masako asked what it was

"Damn car" Hikari grumbled

"Huh?" Masako asked

"That damn car wouldn't mind her own business" Hikari rambled

Masako simply thought that Hikari had begun talking to the car she was in to stop from falling asleep and brushed it off as a rambling of someone with a dazed state of mind; she had just been involved in a car accident after all.

****************************

News reached Nozumi at school pretty quickly about what happened to her sisters.  In a state of panic, she called Hikari's high school on her mobile and asked to speak to Toji Suzaharra on a matter of extreme urgency.  The school secretary recognised Nozumi's voice having met her a few times when Hikari had to bring her to the High School for sibling's days.  Toji got to the phone and asked what was up

"Hikari's been in a car accident, and my father says the commander is riding him about some project and he can't come" Nozumi said

"Okay, Nozumi, I think I can fix this.  Just hang on for a bit, I'll sort it out" Toji promised

"Okay, thank you Toji" Nozumi said and hung up

[Okay Hot Rod, now I need your help] Toji thought and dialled a number that linked him into Hot Rod's com system

"Toji, what's up man?" Hot Rod asked

"I need you to come and get me from school, I need a favour.  Hikari's been in a car crash" Toji said

[Oh, I get it] Hot Rod realised he needed an impersonation of his father's voice for this

"Put the secretary on" Hot Rod said and pulled up a sample of Toji's father's voice

"Hello, Mr. Suzaharra?" the secretary asked

"Yes, listen a close friend of my son has just had a car accident; she's also a student there" he said

"Oh, of course no problem, but why does…" she stopped and added together Nozumi's phone call and this situation

"No problem, I'll sign him out myself and make sure he's waiting outside the main gate for you" she said and hung up

[Thanks Hot Rod, I owe you big time] Toji thought and went to tell Kensuke what was going down

"Can I come?" Kensuke asked

"Won't you get in trouble?" Toji asked

"My dad barely noticed me getting my prize; you think he'll notice me absconding from school for a few hours?" Kensuke asked

"True, come on" Toji said and they ran to the front gate, sure enough, there was Hot Rod, with a hologram of Toji's dad in the driver's seat and all

"Come one you two, Kensuke how are you doing?" 'Mr. Suzaharra' asked

"Fine thank you sir" Kensuke answered as he hopped into the back seat

"Where to, Toji?" Hot Rod asked

"The Primary School a few blocks from here, PS 101" he said

"Okay" Hot Rod went into gear, chewing tarmac and shredding rubber

"Wow man, what's this beast got under the bonnet Mr. S?" Kensuke asked

"A powerful motor, that is all you need to know" Hot Rod said and spun around the corner

The trip to the Primary School was quick and quiet.  Nozumi was waiting outside for them and she jumped into the car's spare back seat when she saw Toji inside.  Kensuke politely introduced himself to Nozumi while trying to comfort the distraught preteen.  Seeing her distress, Hot Rod poured on the gas till he was just under the legal limit on the road.  They arrived at the hospital in quick order and raced up to see Hikari and Kodama.

"I'll go and see Mari, I haven't been in a while" Hot Rod was going to use this opportunity to see how bad Mari's injuries were

"Okay, thanks" Toji cried out and ran over to his friend

[He has it bad] Hot Rod thought and went on the hunt for the smaller Suzaharra

Hikari was resting her tired body on a chair when her friends and younger sister burst upon her with questions and words of relief.  Nozumi was practically bonded to Hikari's waist and was sobbing into it.  A nurse had to come and get them to either go outside or calm down: there were sick people in there after all.  Hikari went into rep mode and sat them all down

"Okay, I don't know what happened; other than a drunk driver came out of nowhere and smacked into us" Hikari said

"Where's Kodama?" Nozumi asked

They're monitoring her in that room over there, she's just out cold and got a bad knock on the head; she should wake up in a few hours" Hikari explained

"I'm going to see her" Nozumi said and ran off

"I'm gonna get a drink, you guys thirsty?" Kensuke asked

"Yeah, coke for me" Toji handed him some money

"I'll take one too" Hikari said, Toji slapped another note in Kensuke's hand

"On me today" he said and shooed Kensuke away

"Toji, there's something I want to tell you" Hikari said

"Okay" he pulled up a chair

"When I was waiting for the paramedics, I know this sounds crazy, but I could have sworn Kodama's car was talking to me" she said, shaking her head

[It probably was] Toji let a big smile cross his face and he took Hikari's hand

"I want you to meet someone, but first, where did they take the car you were in?" he asked

"Dunno, for all I know it's still on the road" Hikari answered

"Okay, come on, I want to find my dad, then I want you to meet someone" Toji said and pulled her with him

"Wait, who are we going to meet, cos Toji my sister has had a car accident so forgive me for not being social" Hikari said in a short voice

"He's someone who can help" Toji said

************************

Hot Rod found Mari's room and began a scan as best he could in that direction: he sent the scanning waves though the holo-emitter.  Her spine was snapped in a few places and her legs were practically mangled beyond repair by any technology the earth had to offer, except Nerv but he doubted they would help.  Fortunately, his people were way ahead of Nerv and were very willing to help.

"I'll get First Aid to go over the scans: then we can work out how to fix her up" he decided and walked out only to see Toji and Hikari come running towards him

"Hey dad, we need to introduce Hikari to our friend and then get her car back" Toji explained, giving Hot Rod a look

"Okay, no problem.  Let's go" he said

Hot Rod led them back down to his real body and they went for a drive: first to Matsu Street to find out where Arcee was.  Hot Rod already knew where she was but was just going through the formalities first so Hikari wasn't outright suspicious of what was going on.  Once they were told, they went to the police mechanics depot.

"This is one tough car little miss, hardly a dent in it even after a smack like that, I'd swear this baby was made from Titanium" the mechanic said

[Try Cybertanium, close but no cigar pal] Arcee thought

"Arcee, use your emitters to make a hard light hologram of Mr. Horaki come to pick up the car" Hot Rod spoke to her in a Transformer only bandwidth

"Good idea" she replied and did just that

After all the formalities were over; they left and 'Mr. Horaki' expressed interesting meeting his friend of Toji's.  He said he'd already been to see Kodama and was very interested if this friend could help her.  With that in mind, Hikari saw no real problem in going for the meeting.  They drove up to the hills where Toji met Hot Rod properly for the first time.  Toji got out and scouted the area; it was clear.

"Okay Hikari, he'll be here in a minute, come sit with me" Toji said

"Yeah, why not" she said and got out of Arcee

"NOW" Toji cried

"HOT ROD, TRANSFORM"

"ARCEE, TRANSFORM"

Hikari spun around and saw that were there was once two cars now stood a pair of robots, one was obviously female from the slender limbs and what looked like a bust on her chest.  Hikari let her mouth hang open for a few minutes and turned to Toji with an incredulous look; he smiled

"Yeah, that was my first reaction too" he said

"Hikari, I'm Hot Rod, Toji's guardian" Hot Rod said

"And I'm Arcee, I'm your guardian" she introduced herself

"Well so far you've done a bad job" Hikari snapped

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry" Arcee started

"Sorry!  You're sorry, well sorry doesn't pull my older sister out a possible coma does it!" Hikari screeched

"She's not in a coma, it would be impossible for her to be.  Not with the dampening field I set up just after the collision" Arcee explained

"This is, who the, how, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Hikari screamed

"Well, take a seat and we'll explain it all, you aren't alone in this situation" Arcee said and sat down opposite Hikari

"Dark Prime; this is Hot Rod, two of the other three kids down here have made contact.  Nearly there" he said down his radio

"Good, things here are looking up as well, if all goes to plan, we should be back by the end of the week and the others will have met their guardians by the end of the month" Dark Prime replied

"You sure the adults should know last?" Hot Rod asked

"Yes, children I find are much better equipped to handle us than adults, they can accept us easier with their imagination" he explained

"Fair enough, Hot Rod out" Hot Rod hung up and joined the others, this was going to be a long day, but he felt the tough days were still to come


	6. Not Alone on the Battlefield

The French have a saying 'Le Merde as hit ze fan', and as Dark Prime watched Misato open her eyes to rouse herself from her slumber; he had a pretty good idea that that was going to happen once she copped an eyeful of the occupants on the other bed so he braced himself for a barrage of loud noise.  Yet it never came, Misato saw them well enough but all she did was smile a little, go and brush some of Shinji's hair from his face and quietly leave the bedroom.

[That was unexpected] Dark Prime followed Misato with his eyes

Misato sat in the kitchen and was thinking about what exactly to do about the pair in the other bedroom: she knew that Asuka would freak out and that was for starters.  When they got home the commander would undoubtedly freak out and start making it his business to break them up.  She sighed and drank her coffee: a sure sign to the dilemma she was facing.  Misato looked up as she saw Kaji come through the door.

"Hi, if you're wondering about what you saw-" Kaji began

"Kaji; calm down.  I know, now be quiet, they're still asleep" Misato hushed the man up

"Oh, what about Asuka?" Kaji asked

"We'll deal with her when the time comes" Misato said and went to have a shower

"Indeed we will" Kaji said and went for his own coffee

Asuka got up a couple of minutes later and strutted into the kitchen to get her breakfast delivered.  She called down for bacon and eggs with toast and orange juice.  Asuka sat down in her bathrobe and sighed: she'd had a great night's sleep for a change in a nice, European style bed and she felt very refreshed

"How'd you sleep Kaji?" Asuka asked

"Great, you?" Kaji asked

"I had the best nigh of sleep I've ever had in a long, long time.  In a proper bed and not a futon" Asuka said as her breakfast arrived

"All right, a real breakfast for a change" Asuka sighed and began eating

"Hi Asuka, I'll get your clothes for you" Misato said, wanting to avoid a confrontation before it could occur

"Thanks Misato" Asuka said between mouthfuls of bacon

"So what are we doing today?" Asuka asked

"How about we go Para-Sailing?" Kaji suggested

"That sounds cool" Misato intoned and gave Asuka her clothes

"What about Shinji and Rei?" Kaji asked

"Oh, since they're still asleep, we'll leave them be.  Rei's probably still got her sunburn so she won't want to come anyway" Misato said

Asuka shrugged her shoulders and went to get dressed back in the master bedroom.  Misato quickly got her own clothes from her room and went back the shared room to get dressed.  Once she was dressed, she left a huge wad of cash and a note for them for when they woke up.  Misato then saw Rei's face: there was a massive smile on hers.

"Have a good day you two" she whispered before leaving

"Come on Misato, hurry up, we wanna go Para-Sailing" Asuka cried

"Coming" she called out and turned back the to sleeping couple

"I envy you" Misato said quietly and left the room

************************

Shinji woke up an hour later and the first thing he noticed was that there was a pair of slender arms around his waist and that there was something there (presumably the body the arms around his waist were connected to).  He turned over as best he could and there was Rei.  Last night came back to him in a flood of happy feelings.  Shinji smiled and gently traced his finger across Rei's cheek

[I'm going to need an insulin injection if he keeps this up] Dark Prime thought as he leaned against the wall

"Mmmm, that felt nice" Rei mumbled as she opened her eyes

Shinji was embarrassed but for some reason could not bring himself to remove his hand and instead cupped Rei's whole cheek.  She responded in turn by grasping his hand in hers and snuggling up closer to him

"Good morning" Shinji said

"It is" Rei replied

"Should we get up?" Shinji asked

"Do we have to?" Rei asked, and Shinji swore she was putting on a deliberately cute voice

"I need to see where everyone is" Shinji said and rolled over, where he saw the wad of cash and the note

"Hello, what have we got here" he wondered and picked up the note

'Shinji and Rei ^_^

I left this here so that the two of you could have a day to yourselves without us always over your shoulders and I'm sure you two wouldn't be able to bear Asuka ranting about your 'perverted ways' -_-!

So anyway, there is enough money there to have a day at that theme park we saw the other day.  Have a good time (^_-) and, take care of each other.

Love,

Misato'

Shinji's jaw drooped when he finished reading the note and handed it to Rei.  She took it and read it, her expression fairly blank until she'd finished; she became a little more animated then and put the note down.  Rei got up and stretched herself to work out all the cricks in her back and neck.  Shinji had to admire Rei; she was one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever met in his entire life.  And never in a million years did he believe that he would be in a relationship with her of any kind, let alone one that bordered on sexually intimate.

"Do you want to go to that theme park?" Shinji asked

"What's a theme park?" Rei asked, having never seen one or heard one before

"It's a big place that has lots of rides, things like roller coasters and dodgem cars" he explained

"Okay, it sounds, interesting" Rei said and went for a shower

[My first date] Shinji thought as he went to pick out his clothes

He went into the kitchen and grabbed the phone to order breakfast; toast and eggs for himself and he took a chance and ordered a fruit salad and a jug of orange juice to drink.  Before confirming the order he asked Rei if she wanted the salad.  She said yes and returned to her shower.  Shinji confirmed the order and thanked the man.  Rei finished her shower and told Shinji it was available

"Just leave the water running, I'll jump in" he said and grabbed his towel and ran in, being careful to avert his eyes from Rei in her towel

"AAGGGHHH" Rei smiled softly as Shinji discovered she showered in cold water

[Damn man, how does she do that?] Shinji wondered as he adjusted the water to a warmer temperature

Shinji washed himself but also contemplated the effect Rei had on him.  When she was around, he felt like he could take on the world and win.  When the slept together, well, words could not describe how he felt when that happened.  He turned off the shower and put his head on the wall and decided to sit and truly think out what was happening; because when the invisible barrier between friend's and couple was broken; there was no going back

[Shinji, are you ready for this; getting close to someone only gets you hurt] his withdrawn side told him

[To get affection, you must give it also and Rei needs affection or else she will fade away, forever] Shinji heard another voice speak to him

"So, I either stay cold and alone and unhurt for the rest of my life or I risk pain for love" Shinji said to himself

Shinji poked his head around the corner and saw Rei sitting at the table eating her salad and in that single moment, he not an Evangelion pilot, not an enigma, nor a cold heartless girl that others avoided: he saw a beautiful young woman that he loved, and as far as he knew, loved him back.  He decided that any pain was worth loving her.  Father, Asuka and damn everyone else who said otherwise.

"Your breakfast will be getting cold" Rei's soft voice cut his thoughts like knife

"Coming" Shinji called and quickly got dressed

Shinji, again at the behest of Misato had indulged in some less formal cloths, although he did have non school uniform things but not a lot of it so some more was bought for him.  The black Mambo shirt and dark purple shorts with a lightning bolt on them were two of said items.  Shinji was nervous about wearing his new clothes in front of Rei but he figured that she'd be the easiest one to wear them with.

"You have new clothes" Rei observed as Shinji sat down to eat his breakfast

"Yeah, Misato made me get some before we left" Shinji said, going a little red

"They look good on you" Rei said, also going slightly red

[Oh man this is priceless] Dark Prime was flipping a coin like object over his fingers

They finished eating in silence, but Dark Prime saw that it was a peaceful contented one and that the pair seemed to need no words to feel comfortable.  Being the movie buff he was, Dark Prime remembered what Uma Thurman said in Pulp Fiction '_That's when you know you found somebody special.  When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute, and comfortably share silence_'

[Amen to that Uma] he thought as Shinji picked up the phone and, in a gentlemanly gesture offered his arm to Rei

[Smooth like polished silver] Dark Prime smirked to himself as the pair walked downstairs to catch a cab.

*******************

Asuka was having the time of her life.  The Para-Sailing was one of the biggest rushes she'd ever had.  Probably because it was a totally safe and she didn't need to fight anything.  Asuka just leaned back and enjoyed the wind in her hair and the water spray on her face and just sighed.

"You guys have to try this, its great" Asuka shouted down to Kaji and Misato

"We will" Kaji replied from the beach; little knowing they would not have the opportunity that day

********************

In Tokyo 3, alarms went off, alarms that signalled the arrival of an attack.  Tracks heard them and radioed the Transformers at Yoko Beach; the Evangelion pilots were needed and fast.  In Nerv, Gendo smiled to himself

"Summon Major Katsuragi and the pilots" he ordered

"Yes sir" Maya said and phoned Misato's cell phone

[They may have been 'unwinding' but now they will know the price for such folly as a holiday] he thought maliciously

********************

Dark Prime received the call; he had to make sure that Shinji and Rei were okay and that they had at least received the message also.  His speed carried him across the sky in quick paces and he soon came to the theme park and he stopped: what he wanted to do and what he had to were so different they began to conflict, which confused his logic algorithm.  Shinji and Rei were on a Ferris Wheel: a reputed romantic ride for young couples (especially when one asks for the wheel to 'jam' with their cart at the top).  He just wanted to leave them be, let them enjoy not only each others company.

[I never used to care how other people felt.  Why now?] he wondered

[It is because you have seen this boy's future is an unhappy one without her] Optimus Prime replied

[How many times have I told you not to do that?] Dark Prime asked

[Beyond countless.  You have to take them back to Tokyo 3, I know you want him to be happy; I can tell you've grown fond of him] Optimus Prime knew when his friend was dodging an issue

[I'm fond of no one; you know that] Dark Prime insisted

[Oh, why then whenever our surveillance showed Asuka angry at Shinji, I could feel enough hatred from you to kill something, or someone?] Optimus prodded

[The way she treats him is subhuman; and if Starscream doesn't knock some sense into that girl, I will] Dark Prime snarled; glyphs glowing brightly

[You can deny it all you want old friend, but you care for the boy as if he were your own brother; face it and accept it for it makes you strong] Optimus explained

Dark Prime said nothing and began listening in on the conversation between the two young people.  Then his sensors detected the phone signals coming towards the phones the pair carried.  Dark Prime hissed and sent out a pulse that disabled the carrier wave, nullifying the phone signal: he decided they should have a few minutes longer, judging how this conversation was going.

"Rei, I, want to tell you something" Shinji managed to stutter out

"What is it you wish to tell me?" she asked; tilting her head slightly to the side

[I wonder if she knows how badly she's torturing him?] Dark Prime wondered as he viewed the exchange

"I ah, I've been thinking a lot lately about, how I feel" he said

"Feel about what?" she enquired further

"You, and my relationship with you" he answered

[Shinji so help me Primus you back out now and I will personally see you bitch-slapped] Dark Prime uttered that and a further string of oaths

"And to what conclusion have you come to?" Rei asked, looking Shinji right in the eye

"I…" Shinji was really struggling to speak

[Come on, you've lined up the shot, now take it!] Dark Prime urged him to go on, silently

"…love you" Shinji managed to finish

[He shoots, he scores, swish and nuthin' but net] Dark Prime said, making a mock basket ball shot

Rei's eyes widened slightly and began to get watery.  Wave after wave of energy washed over her from the inside out making her feel something that was totally alien to her.  Dark Prime knew what she was feeling; love.  He could tell mainly by the way her heart rate increased but also, he could see the small smile on her face growing larger.  Rei gently tipped Shinji's head up so he was looking at her and gently closed the gap between their lips

[Hmm, it seems you've done a good job playing matchmaker Dark Prime] Optimus observed

[Bite me] Dark Prime answered

[Now, I think you should get them to where they need to go] Optimus said

[Yeah, oh wait, there's Major Katsuragi] Dark Prime said and pointed to Misato

[Okay, go and wait with the others then] Optimus ordered and returned to his business

Misato was shouting at the man at the Ferris Wheel operator about getting the two children down and pronto.  He responded as best he could given the circumstances.  Shinji and Rei's carriage was near the bottom now anyway so she didn't have to wait long.  Then her mind went its usual way and she readied her camera, any shot of the two of them together was going to be great for teasing them.  The door opened automatically; and Misato snapped the picture: they were still kissing till the flash hit them

"Sorry to break up an obviously nice day, but the Angel alarms at home are going crazy: we have to go" Misato said

Both children were upset by this but it was the way things were.  They all hurried to the airfield where they boarded Silverbolt and took off to begin the 4 hour trip back home.  Of course that time was shortened when Silverbolt was kicked into sound barrier breaking mode and the 4 hours would turn into 90 minutes.  Misato sat in her chair and prayed

[I hope we get there in time] she thought

*************************

The Dinobots were watching the Angel approaching and Death Strike was uncertain as to what course of action they were to take: while each child was in their Eva, they were well protected.  But he knew a lot about the Evangelions and how they worked: a certain spy in Nerv had been giving them information for a long time on the machines: he knew each child felt the pain the robot itself incurred.  Grimlock was even sitting giving the situation some serious thought and that took a lot of doing.

"What you think Death Strike?" he asked

"About what?" Death Strike replied

"What if Rei get hurt when she fight, what we do then you think?" Grimlock elaborated

"We do what we were told to do; defend her with our lives" Death Strike said

"Okay" Grimlock nodded and went to prepare the others for battle

****************************

Kensuke was excited: another Angel was here and this time, he was going to stay out and get it from a safe distance this time.  Grinning he grabbed his camera, spare data disks and a few still cameras he ran out of his house and into the mountains.  Megatron waited till Kensuke was far enough away from the house not to notice him and then transformed.  Keeping himself low to the ground, Megatron managed to activate his phase shifter and stand up properly and get out of that house

"Dear god that boy was mad, he needs a more productive hobby" Megatron groaned as he moved his limbs to undo the stiffness in them

He stole a look at the Angel as it came into his visual range: it was like a human with long spindly arms and legs.  Its legs were folded into a diamond shape beneath it as if it were meditating and it floated above the ground.  Its arms were crossed like a Dijinn from old Arabic stories and texts.  He frowned and took flight towards his young charge.

[The boy's respect for the military and warrior arts is commendable but his lack of spiritual embracement of them is what bothers me] Megatron though as he found a quiet place to hide

Kensuke had set himself up on a hillside and was watching what was happening with great enthusiasm.  Megatron finally got a look at the famed Evangelions, and he had to admit, for a flesh bag creation, they were very imposing and very well made.  But from what he'd been told of their mode of operation, he wasn't fond of it on that score

[They've started fighting, this will be interesting] Megatron sat to keep one eye on his charge and another on the fight

************************

The Evas were launched as soon as the children were suited up.  They were each given a rifle and a spear and circled the Angel warily, trying to find an opening to attack.  The Angel just kept spinning, ignoring the pilots it seemed until it struck.  The move was sudden and almost went at the speed of sound.  Its arm flicked out, seeming to stretch into forever and smacked Asuka in the face, sending her tumbling down.  Shinji used this moment to shoot the Angel.  It simply twisted its body around the shot.  It then flung out its feet and grabbed both Eva's by the necks and gave them a whip like snap.  Misato had fortunately had the foresight to cancel all nerve connections as soon as they'd been grabbed.  Both Evas landed on top of Asuka

"Asuka can you hear me?" Misato shouted

"Ugggg" Asuka groaned

"You need to get up; the others are out of commission and you have to defeat the Angel" Misato said frantically 

"I can't move, I think one of the legs was damaged" Asuka said

The Angel sensed its prey was weak and defenceless now, so it advanced towards them and began to spin its arms around like a flail.  When a lone building was in the way of said arm and the building was neatly cut in two, things in Nerv began to get really panicked.  Megatron saw that it was now that they must act.  He became visible and picked Kensuke up

"All forces this is Megatron, red alert, Evangelion pilots in danger" he said into his radio

"Affirmative, we'll handle it" Death Strike replied

Death Strike turned to his fellows and Grimlock understood what needed to be done.  He and the other Dinobots flew into the air and began firing at the Angel.  Its attention was turned further when Starscream came from nowhere and began unloading plasma at the Angel.  Finally Dark Prime became visible and drew his sword.  He held it up high and swung with all his might: an arc of white energy flew from the sword blade and went towards the Angel, cutting its AT Field down.

"Dinobots, MERGE" Grimlock ordered the unveiling of the Dinobots' secret weapon

Swoop's wings disengaged and his missiles went and clamped onto his knees.  His Pteranadon head folded down and his crest did the same on his back.  His arms and legs tucked in and his feet folded up and revealed a large fist.  He was the left arm

Slag's legs shortened but remained unfolded and a fist like Swoop's came out.  His dinosaur legs folded in and he became the right arm

Snarl's head folded in, his legs unfolded and shortened and a foot came out.  His tail split and folded down to keep out of the way.  His dinosaur legs all folded in and Snarl became the right leg

Sludge's dinosaur head and neck folded down and out of the way.  His robot mode legs, like Snarl's, folded down and shortened while one of his back ridges elongated and formed a foot.  His dinosaur legs folded in and Sludge became the left leg

Grimlock's robot legs shortened till only the grey parts were visible.  His arms folded down and grasped each segment of his split tail and his dinosaur feet slid down and covered them, creating a lock.  His head folded down and Swoop's wings joined to his back and Grimlock became the body

Death Strike transformed into the head.  The head was rather typical of a Transformer combiner: it was square with a few crests on the head and no mouth but rather a mouth plate that moved up and down when he spoke.  The all joined together with a great flash of light blinding both Nerv and the Angel.  When it cleared, all of them looked on in surprise as the giant robot roared his name

"JURRASITOR, AWAKENS" shaking windows and people

***************

A/N:  If any of you are wondering how the idea of how the Dinobots came together came to me, I suggest you go to this link 

If that doesn't work, try this one 

I think the artist of these pictures should be given credit.  Although using Death Strike as the head was my idea, the overall design was this one.  A great pic too, makes a fine wallpaper

*****************


	7. A Great Evil Stirs

Nerv was in total chaos: no one knew what these other life forms were; they gave off no signal to analyse and the one who just introduced himself was starting towards the Angel.  With few other options open to them, they simply began recording the battle and analysing it as best they could.

"WHAT IN GODS NAME?" Misato was beyond shocked

"I have no idea but remember the saying, mine enemies enemy is my friend, as long as they kill the Angel, we shouldn't have a problem" Ritsuko said; her opinion was high that Evas could defeat anything

"Man, this just like watching a episode of Robotech" Makoto said

"I reckon" Aoba added as Jurrasitor threw a punch at the Angel.

[What are these, creatures?] Gendo wondered as he watched the battle unfold on the screen

"Ikari, Seele will throw pink fits about this and you know it" Fuyutski said

"They can throw fits of all colours for all I care; they know this isn't within my control" Gendo snapped

*****************

Kensuke couldn't believe it, not only was he getting front row tickets to a massively cool fight; he was told that Megatron was sent specifically to defend him from harm.  This was the part that had Kensuke highly confused: he was just one of a few thousand kids in the whole city; what would he do or did he do without actually knowing it that warranted the protection of Megatron

"You my young friend, are a friend of Shinji Ikari, therefore your well being is essential to his, if you die, he becomes sad and so on and so forth" Megatron said

"I see, so I don't do anything important in the near future?" he asked

"I didn't say that" Megatron replied with a glint in his eye

"Hey, you want to see something really cool?" he asked Kensuke

"Okay" Kensuke replied

Megatron got on the radio to Dark Prime and Starscream and asked them to meet him on the mountain side.  They arrived and after the introductions were made: Megatron laid out a plan to make the Angel bite the dust.  He first turned to Dark Prime

"You took its AT Field out I assume?" he asked

"Of course" Dark Prime answered

"Good, then get Jurrasitor to hold the Angel up, you help him and Starscream, you fire me at the Angel's core" he said

"You got enough power to do that old man?" Starscream asked

"Yes.  I'll tap into my black hole" Megatron ignored the insult and summoned the closest Transformer; Tracks, to keep Kensuke safe

"Okay, lets go" Megatron said and took to the sky

"He'll be okay right?" Kensuke asked

"Megatron is a very seasoned veteran of war; he knows how to fight" Tracks assured the boy

*******************

Jurrasitor and Dark Prime had managed to restrain the Angel: it made the mistake of grabbing Jurrasitor's neck.  The Transformer combiner had a rather stocky neck and when the Angel tried to whip lash him, Jurrasitor simply grabbed the limb and held it tightly.  While it struggled to break free, Dark Prime sliced its legs off with his sword.  The Angel howled in pain as Dark Prime and Jurrasitor held it aloft, point its body in the direction of the sky.  Megatron transformed and tapped into the black hole deep in space

"Okay Starscream, lets get this done" Megatron said

"With pleasure" Starscream hissed and took hold of his leader's gun form

"NOW" Dark Prime shouted

"Hey Angel cakes, SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!" Starscream bellowed and fired

The energy was of massive proportions.  The beam was nearly 6 feet across when it fired.  It rocketed towards the Angel's core and hit it dead centre.  At first it stopped, but then the core began to break apart like glass and soon the beam shattered it and went right through the Angel.  As usually happens when an Angel core is destroyed, the Angel blew up.

*****************

"It appears that our guests have taken care of both the Angel, and themselves" Ritsuko said

"Ah, ma'am.  I think you should look at the monitor again" Aoba said

"What; that's impossible; nothing should be able to survive that without an A.T. Field!" Ritsuko wailed

"Well, why don't you tell them that" Misato said sarcastically

[I must find a way to control these things] Gendo was already plotting something

*****************

Outside, the now disengaged Dinobots were bemoaning their dirty state.  Dark Prime just told them to stick it and get their charge out and make sure she was okay.  At that the Dinobots froze and then all ran towards Unit 0, Starscream also flew towards Unit 2 while Dark Prime floated over to Eva 1.  Asuka was already getting out of her Eva when Starscream landed beside her

"Won't you give a lady a hand?" Asuka asked

"Lady, I don't see a lady" Starscream joked

"Ha ha, smart arse, just help me will you" she grumbled

Starscream smiled and lifted Asuka up effortlessly and sat her inside one his air intakes, they could make a reasonable seat for a human.  In the mean time, Rei was meeting the Dinobots for the very first time.  All she could do was sit and stare at them one at a time.  This lasted for a few minutes

"She stared at me longer, she like me best" Sludge cried out suddenly, his voice nearly knocking Rei over

"No, she like me Grimlock better" Grimlock roared

"You both wrong, she admire Slag longest" Slag gloated

"You are all wrong, Swoop who she looked at longer" Swoop put forth

"That only cos you look funny" Snarl said

"Then you're funnier looking than me to her then" Swoop pouted

"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP" Death Strike yelled; the other Dinobots all shut up

"My apologies Ms. Ayanami, my comrades tend to get, over zealous at times" he said

"Who are you?" Rei managed to ask

"My name is Death Strike, Dinobot assigned to protect you, as are the others you see behind me, there is one other of us but he is still guarding your apartment" Death Strike explained

"I see" Rei was very confused; this was a really big shot out of left field

Over by Unit 1, Shinji was a bit dizzy and was very disorientated but a single thought ran through his mind 'Rei' Shinji tried running but fell down promptly.  He did not feel the ground though, he hit something metallic but it seemed softer than most metal things he'd touched.  Shinji cleared his head and bit and lifted his head and came face to face with Dark Prime

"Hey kid, I'm Dark Prime" he said in a soft voice; one no none knew he could speak that softly

"Hi" Shinji stammered as Dark Prime lifted him up to his shoulder

"Well, you'll want to see your girlfriend I assume" Dark Prime shot Shinji a lurid grin

"Yeah, I want to make sure Rei is okay" Shinji was getting riled up again

"Okay, the Dinobots will keep her safe so don't worry" he said as he walked over to where Rei was and put him down

"REI!" Shinji ran over to her, despite his disorientated state; but he fell over and became unconscious

"SHINJI, HELP HIM" no one had ever heard Rei scream before

Dark Prime knelt down and placed his large hand over the boy: one of his large glyphs began glowing and the glow seemed to be doing something to Shinji.  Asuka watched, enthralled as Dark Prime healed Shinji: she'd heard a bit about him from Starscream but she was still chilled to the bone by his actual physical appearance.  She whispered to Starscream

"What is he?" she asked

"I don't know, I don't think anyone does except Optimus Prime, but he won't tell" Starscream answered

Shinji opened his eyes again and saw Rei looking at him: she was scared out of her mind and Shinji felt bad.  Then he noticed all the other heads above him, blue, red and other colour eyes board down on him.  Shinji blinked a few times

"Rei, there are several large robots behind us" he said

"We know that Shinji you idiot!" Asuka cried out from Starscream's shoulder

"Shut up bitch" Dark Prime hissed

"We are here to help you Shinji, and your friends" Dark Prime said

"What?" Shinji was confused

Shinji didn't get much of a chance to reply to that when several Nerv V-TOL aircraft surrounded them.  A loud speak carried Gendo Ikari's voice to them.  He said that they were to release the Eva pilots and prepare to be arrested.  Dark Prime and the others looked at each other and began laughing

"Here's how it's going to work: you take these toys home like a good little boy, and meet us in the mountains: you, Misato Katsuragi, Mr Kaji, and Dr. Akagi.  Bring anyone else and there will be hell" Dark Prime sneered

To prove he wasn't joking, Dark Prime sliced one of the helicopters in two; an automated one so no one was hurt but the point was clear: he had control here and Gendo did not.  Dark Prime sheathed his weapon and picked Shinji up.  Then he flew towards the mountains.  The other Transformers followed suit soon after.

********************

Gendo Ikari was livid: these other beings presumed to come into his city and tell him what to do.  He would not allow this but he would agree to these terms for he had no choice in the matter at this time.  He organised a jeep (who happened to be Swindle) to take them up to the specified area.  Ritsuko had a laptop with her to study their hosts.  Misato had to be coerced into not bringing a rocket launcher and Kaji, well, he was just taking this in his stride as best he could: it wasn't every day he was summoned before a group of giant robots.

"What do you think their angle is?" he asked casually

"I don't know, but if they harm a hair on those kids head's and I'll kill them" she growled, grinding her teeth

"They look like fascinating beings" Ritsuko said and began mapping a 3D model of Dark Prime

"That is irrelevant; we must either control or destroy them" Gendo said simply

[You only wish you could little man] Swindle thought as they approached the area

They stopped and got out of Swindle: they found them easily because Hot Rod and Toji were lazing around near the road.  They didn't even speak to Toji and asked Hot Rod what was going on.  Hot Rod only grinned and thumbed in the direction of a lake

"The big man is back there, you're expected" Hot Rod said

Gendo and the others simply walked through the woods till they came to the clearing: Dark Prime was standing by a large rock, sword drawn and it appeared he was practicing with it.  The Dinobots were in the water; Misato could just make out Rei sitting on the head of one of them, the one with a long neck.  Asuka was nowhere to be seen and Shinji was in the water, floating

"Where is Asuka?" Misato asked

"YEEEEHAAAAA" they heard a loud screech above them

"What the?" Misato looked up

Asuka was a hover board, being towed by Starscream, who was doing some serious g's.  Misato looked horrified at first but she saw that Asuka was having the time of her life and she seemed pretty safe.  After a few minutes, Hikari, and Kensuke showed up with Toji: each one accompanied by one of these robots, and the one with Hikari looked like it was supposed to be a female

"Okay, everyone's here.  GUYS, BRING EM IN" Dark Prime called out to the Dinobots and their human friends

"Okay" Grimlock shouted back

"Starscream, you and Asuka get your collective ass downs here" Hot Rod yelled

"What how you speak to me, whelp" Starscream came down but didn't take it as an order from Hot Rod

Soon all the people with guardians save Misato and Kaji were assembled in front of the group of humans and Transformers.  There was a brief staring contest before someone spoke: Gendo:

"Return my pilots to me" he said

"You shut up" Grimlock snarled

"Mr. Kaji, Major Katsuragi would please join the children with us" Dark Prime said

"Okay" Kaji casually strolled over to them, Misato followed to check on Shinji and the others

"You two don't fucking move" Starscream pointed his shoulder cannon at Gendo and Ritsuko as they began to move as well

"Tracks, come and meet the major.  Soundwave, it's cool to come out now" Megatron said

Misato stared in amazement as her car, without any other drive came from nowhere and transformed into a robot.  He smiled at Misato and said hello.  Kaji then felt his walkman jump from his own pocket and it also transformed.  Then, several tapes ejected from his chest: Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage and Laserbeak came out and it soon became obvious what was going on: they were showing Gendo that what they said; goes

"Well, we finally the commander and his whore, what a shame I thought they would be taller" Dark Prime said scathingly

"What?" they both said

"Okay children, this is how it works: you breath on these people wrong and we will all come down on you like a megaton of bricks, savvy?" Megatron said

"Who are you to threaten me?" Gendo asked imperiously

"I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, and…" he paused and used his arm cannon to totally destroy a rock face

"…I'm able to do that, which all you need to know" he finished

"Those pilots are needed to combat the Angels; do you wish to kill us all?" Ritsuko asked

"By no means will we stop them fighting the Angels; we'll help them" Death Strike said

"Then why all this secrecy?" Ritsuko asked

"Because we don't trust Nerv any further than we can throw a planet" Arcee answered

"Major Katsuragi, you know Nerv is keeping secrets, as do you Mr. Kaji.  It is our intention to defend these 8 people from the consequences of the actions set in motion by you" Megatron pointed to Gendo

"I have an army at my disposal, I will fight you if I have to" Gendo was remaining defiant

"So do we, the difference is, you don't know where we are, who we are or what we are" Tracks chuckled

"We've had 150 million years to prepare for this, and we've had nearly a billion years of technological evolution to aid us: we will win this" Dark Prime assured Gendo in no uncertain terms

"We'll expose you to the world; even you can't fight the entire earth military!" Gendo shouted

"I don't think so: see this disc, on it is every single conversation you have ever had.  Also is photos and videos of the deepest parts of Nerv, we send these to all the governments in the world and they'll beg us to off you" Dark Prime twirled the device on his finger

"Now, you two can get lost" Megatron sneered

Gendo stiffened and turned around and walked towards the jeep he came in.  Megatron sent a message to Swindle saying to stay as he was.  No sense in letting on who one of the many spies in Nerv were.  Ritsuko looked back at her friends, Misato and Kaji both looked disgusted and from the faint moaning noises coming form a small laptop, she knew that they were seeing a security feed of the her and the commander.  Head hung in shame; she walked back to the jeep, until Rumble jumped in front of her

"This can be worked out you know; just tell them the truth, we can back you up with it no sweat" he said, wanting to cheer the doctor up

"They won't believe me" Ritsuko sobbed

"They will with all the proof we have" Rumble assured her

"You sure?" she asked, looking behind her

"Yeah" he said

"Ironic, the only two people who found happiness here are the two who can't have it" she said

"What do you mean?" Rumble asked

"Shinji and Rei, she is made from the remains of his mother" she said

"No she isn't" Rumble said

"What?" Ritsuko asked, puzzled

"Dark Prime switched the remains.  Elita 1, Optimus Prime's missus, she can freeze time right, so she froze it when they took Yui Ikari's remains to the lab, and he switched them with something we made" he explained

"You mean…" Ritsuko whipped her head around again, Rei and Shinji were kissing

"Yep, she's 50% Angel, 50% Biosynthetic mass, not a drop of Yui is in there" Rumble said

"Okay, I'll go with you guys" Ritsuko said

"Cool, come on then" Rumble smiled and followed the doctor back to the others

"Ritsuko!  You traitor!" Gendo snarled

"I suggest you leave immediately, before I decide to kill you for the fun of it" Dark Prime rumbled, sword drawn

Gendo Ikari was defeated: he knew that, but he would soldier on and try to complete his goals with the interference of these others.  But he knew as well as anybody that these were an outside element in an otherwise perfect equation and this will have very unexpected repercussions.  Gendo grit his teeth as he drove away.  On the upside, at least Seele would be hard pressed to make a move against them now.

***************************

In the Seele Council chambers, a meeting was taking place.  They had (as expected) heard about the events that transpired in Tokyo 3 that day and were discussing the implications this would have on them and their plans.  The room was reverberating with noise from the younger members of Seele, mostly just panicked jabber.  Keel Lorenz then chose to silence them

"SILENCE" his old but powerful voice echoed above all others in the chamber

"This is a bad situation Chairman Keel, we have nothing to combat these machines" 03 said

"Yes, these creatures aren't mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls, we have no measures with which to counter them" 07 added

"That is where you are wrong" Keel began and pressed a button under the desk he sat at

A large hologram appeared in the centre of the council chambers.  It was a robot: yellow and grey with the horns of Satan on his head.  His eyes glowed with fire and he seemed powerful enough to pluck any member of Seele from his or her place in the universe and destroy them

"Keel Lorenz.  My loyal minion" it greeted Keel with a booming, terrible voice

"My Lord…" He paused for dramatic effect among his fellow council members

"…Unicron" he finished


	8. The Calm Before The Storm

In a secure area of the Geo Front; Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Hikari, Toji, Kensuke, Kaji and Misato were getting to know their 'guardians' better.  Tracks and Misato were discussing her driving skills or lack thereof.  Kaji was asking Soundwave how he managed to get the information that he did; Soundwave smirked and refused to reveal his secrets.  Arcee was bugging Hikari about Toji

[I feel sorry for Shinji; Dark Prime is so antisocial] Arcee thought before replying to Hikari's latest retort

Rei was in the lake with the bigger Dinobots; sliding down Sludge's tail.  The idea was that Rei was going to teach the Dinobots the virtue of being discrete while they would teach her how to have fun; so far so good because they had Rei chuckling quietly.  Kensuke was discussing (or verbally throwing) ideas for military weapons and strategies at Megatron

[I was right, this kid is insane.  I better keep him away from Fortress Maximus's Tactical Room, he'd die of pleasure] Megatron said to himself

Asuka and Toji were playing some kind of card game with their respective guardians: god only knows what it was but Toji and Hot Rod were getting taken to the cleaners by Starscream and Asuka.  Lastly was Shinji and Dark Prime; they were sitting on the lake shore watching Rei and the Dinobots.  They appeared not to be talking but in fact they were

"Shinji, why do you put up with half the crap you do?" Dark Prime asked

"What do you mean?" Shinji replied

"I mean you took heaps of crap off Asuka, and some off Toji in the beginning.  So I have to ask why you take it when you can so easily fob them off" Dark Prime elaborated

"Oh, well, I" Shinji couldn't answer the question

"Shinji; I think you should let them know how you feel in the future.  You can't keep taking this kind of treatment, it isn't healthy" Dark Prime said

"What can I do, all I ever seem to do is make Asuka angrier with me, and Misato just brushes me off" Shinji explained

"I see" Dark Prime could do no more

"I'm tired, I better go home" Shinji said and then sniffed himself

"I better get out of this thing first" he chuckled

"Rumble.  Borrow a cloaker and tail Shinji in Nerv; I don't trust those sons of bitches any further than I could throw Fortress Maximus" Dark Prime said

"You aren't going to follow me?" Shinji asked

"I need to see someone first, I'll be along soon, and Rumble is small enough to fight inside Nerv without destroying the base" Dark Prime grinned

Shinji smiled and looked over and saw a most curious thing: Rumble was sitting Red-Indian style across from Ritsuko, who was talking about something difficult because her face kept creasing and her eyes were almost soaked, mascara was running down her cheeks.  Dark Prime summoned Frenzy to tail Shinji instead as it seemed Rumble was doing something important.  Once that was taken care of; Dark Prime simply disappeared from view.

"How does he do that?" Shinji asked Frenzy

"I don't know kid, I don't want to know either" Frenzy replied and cloaked

"Oi, Tracks, we need a lift to Nerv, would you please oblige" Frenzy called

"Yeah okay, I wanna chew some tarmac anyway" Tracks got up and stretched before transforming

Shinji got in the front passenger seat and relaxed a bit more; Misato's driving style always made him nervous but since he knew Tracks could take over at any time he wasn't so worried.  Misato got and just reclined in her driver's seat but Tracks made a coughing noise

"Excuse me, but having a 150 million year old robot as your car doesn't excuse you from wearing seatbelts" he said sternly

"Oh Tracks come on, your-" Misato started

"…Responsible for your safety.  And if anything happens to Shinji, Dark Prime will use my head for a basket ball" Tracks finished

"Okay" they grumbled and put on their seat belts

"Good; now off we go" Tracks cried as he put the gas on

"He is not a well robot" Frenzy muttered as he followed in the air

**************************

Deep below the oceans in the artic, four great cities sat on the ocean floor; each connected by various bridges and passages.  This was the ADA Stronghold, a connection of Metroplex, Trypticon , Fortress Maximus and Scorponok.  Their combined firepower was enough to destroy whole countries in a single bombardment.  Their combined strength supposedly enough to knock a small moon from its orbital axis.  They were the last line of defence against the forces seeking to harm the 8 protectorates of the ADA, with Omega Supreme as a last resort to take them back to Cybertron if needs be.  Here is where Dark Prime felt most at home

"Optimus Prime; I wish to speak with you" Dark Prime spoke on his intercom

"I'm in my office, come and see me there" was his answer

Dark Prime transverses many corridors till he reached the head offices of Fortress Maximus in the command spire.  Optimus Prime sat behind these doors; the most powerful of all the standard Transformers rivalled only by Megatron.  He was a tall being, grand and imposing to most that knew him; but not to Dark Prime, no, he and Optimus shared a common bond that made them equals

"Sit" Optimus said

"Thank you" Dark Prime did so

"As I'm sure you are aware, all contact as been established with the protectorates.  Frenzy is monitoring Shinji until I return" Dark Prime started with chit chat

"Cut the crap DP, I know why you're here; you want to know if a certain someone has caught on to our little plan, don't you?" Prime asked

"No I wanted to know if I could kill Gendo Ikari.  But on that other matter, has that certain someone discovered our little soiree?" he asked in return

"No on question 1; and an unfortunate yes to question 2" Optimus answered

"Can I switch answer please, I much prefer that setup" Dark Prime deadpanned

"Wish we could, but we can't.  All we can hope for is that we at least complete phase 1 before he sends a minion to meet us" Optimus continued wearily

"For that, we need the 14th Angel.  No two ways about it.  And you need a visit to the surface" Dark Prime grinned

"Oh shut up" Optimus groaned

"Why not, hand this shit over to Kup for a day or two and come and enjoy the fresh air; I don't understand why you got Motormaster to replace you on the Nerv supply gig" Dark Prime argued

"Because I was needed here" he answered

"What, you think Megatron isn't.  Just.  Forget.  About.  It.  Come and pay us all a visit; at the very least sort out Hot Rod and Arcee before I just tie them together" Dark Prime moaned about their smitten comrades

"Are they still playing the hard to get game against each other?" Optimus laughed as his old friend slumped on the desk

"Yes, and it is driving me up the fucking wall" his voice was almost pained

"Language, DP, language" Optimus teased

"Kiss my shiny black and red arse" Dark Prime shot back

The two friends then shared a hearty laugh at themselves and eventually Optimus Prime was convinced to revisit the surface.

***************************

Shinji was walking through Nerv, and was on the receiving end of some really odd looks.  It appeared that Gendo had circulated that Shinji was being guarded by something with the power to destroy the base at a mere whim and as a result everyone was (obviously) afraid of approaching him.  Quietly ignoring the stares, Shinji went into the change room and began to remove his plug suit and get into his uniform again.  His neck hairs then stood on end as he heard someone coming down the corridor.

"Shinji Ikari" a stern voice pierced the air

"Yes?" Shinji turned to see the Section 2 Agent

"The commander has requested an audience" the man replied

"I'm not interested" Shinji replied quietly

Shinji felt a pair of brass knuckles impact on his floating ribs: he gasped in pain and fell to the floor.  Before the man could do anything else however, he was pressed against a wall with his arms behind his back.  Frenzy didn't take kindly to sneak attacks against young and small people.  With a snarl, he hissed something to the Section 2 agent

"You think those brass things will hurt, wait till you taste my Cybertanium knuckles, fuck head" he then spun the tall man around and belted him full force in the face

He fell to the ground screaming in agony: every single tooth he had was knocked out; and Frenzy was plucking some out of his fist and dropping them onto the floor.  He smiled and drew his gun; and pointed it right at the Nerv security agent.

"You give Commandant Dick-cheese this message: Shinji Ikari; Rei Ayanami; Asuka Soryu, Misato Katsuragi, Ryouji Kaji, Ritsuko Akagi, Hikari Horaki, Toji Suzaharra and Kensuke Aida are under our protection, and any act against them will be construed as an act of war against The Autobot/Decepticon Alliance" he paused and jammed the large pistol under the man's chin

"Understand bone-bag?" Frenzy asked

"Uh huh" the man replied as best he could

"Good" Frenzy grinned and returned his pistol to its proper place; then he turned to Shinji

"Come on kiddo, lets get the hell out of here" he added and motioned to Shinji

"Yeah" was all Shinji said as he walked a little faster to get out of Nerv.

Misato was in the car park chatting with Tracks when a nervous Shinji came power walking out of the door and got inside Tracks without acknowledging her.  She blinked and asked him what was wrong.

"Frenzy just smashed a Section 2 Agent's teeth out" he answered, clutching his still hurting floating ribs

"How many?" Misato asked as she got into the driver seat

"All of them" Frenzy said with a crazed grin

"Wha?" Misato was confused now

"Haven't you ever wondered why he's called Frenzy?" Tracks asked as he went into gear and drove out, Frenzy following

*********************

The following day, Optimus Prime was cruising down the highway towards Tokyo 3: the sun was high in the sky and the day was beautiful.  Optimus relished the feel of sunlight on his body as the wind whipped his windshield.  He passed no cars on his way so he was able to do without his hologram driver to disguise himself as a normal truck

[This undertaking we're embarking on is big.  We cannot fail, for if we do, both human and Transformer kind are doomed] Optimus reflected upon the mission that he and his allies, once enemies had chosen to undertake

The Autobot/Decepticon Alliance was formed after Dark Prime appeared apparently without warning and subdued both armies with his powers.  He then selected from each army the most reasonable, intelligent and open minded of Transformer.  He had then shown them what he had seen for the future of Earth and Cybertron.  He had put simply that Transformers were a most advanced race: what was there to be gained by fighting and blowing up the world they created after they drove off the Quintessons.  Although the six or so warriors that he chose got on well enough, it was the others that he would have trouble with: so Megatron of all people put forward an idea. The Mass Reprogramming of their troops; Vector Sigma could, if given enough power could reprogram each and every Transformer on Cybertron.

The six originals were: Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave, Starscream, Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod.  They would be left unchanged so that they could remember what he had said, and, to keep each other from going totally mad at seeing all their soldiers being nice to each other.  After a while though, even Megatron felt as if maybe, things on Cybertron would be better if they were a single united faction.  So every day, he spent time getting to know the Autobots, finding out strange things about some of them: he'd even burst a gut laughing when he found out that an Autobot femme named Skyhopper had thing for Cyclonus.

Optimus was shaken from his reverie by something that sounded like a plane.  Activating his cameras, he checked the surrounding area.  There were several large cargo planes with Japan's armed forces logo on them.  A thought struck him and he radioed Dark Prime and Megatron.  He informed them of his discovery and told them to be ready.  Both acknowledged the information and Dark Prime called the Dinobots while Megatron hailed Starscream.  If those planes were going where he thought they were; then there was a surprise waiting.

*************************

Dark Prime was outside the children's school when he got the call, so as a precaution he also radioed Arcee and Hot Rod.  He told them in no uncertain terms to get their butts down to the school.  The he got a hold of First Aid: he wanted both Mari Suzaharra and Kodama Horaki out of those hospitals within the next half an hour and inside Fortress Maximus quick smart

"I don't care how you do it, just do it and do it fast" he snapped at the reserved Medic

"Yes, yes sir" he stammered

"Good" Dark Prime hung up and looked skywards: those planes were making a slow circle of the area

"This on the other hand is far from good" he muttered and jumped down from his hiding spot and flew onto the roof

In the classrooms, the day was going on normally, even though there were wild rumours around that Nerv had huge robots guarding the Eva pilots, the kids had left it mainly to total speculation and fantasy.  Shinji was spending his time listening to music and gazing at his girlfriend with a soft eye.  Asuka just kept sighing at how 'lovey-dovey' they were: even Hikari had to admit that she felt the need for insulin at the moment regarding those two.  The teacher's drone was suddenly went quiet and he stared out of the window

"Shinji, look at this" Rei said softly

"What, who are they?" Shinji asked

"I don't know, but I have a feeling they aren't paying us a social call, wonder girl" Asuka said sarcastically

"THIS IS COMMANDER HIROJI.  HAND OVER THE EVANGELION PILOTS OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE" a butch looking man in a uniform bellowed through a loud speaker

"What in the hell is this?" students started saying as a tank turret honed in on their classroom

"FIRE" Hiroji said

The projectile flew from its barrel and spun towards the classroom.  People ducked and covered out of sheer instinct, even those who knew that cannon shell wasn't getting within 3 feet of them.  Dark Prime made his move and stopped the shell with his powers.  Then he became visible and floated down in front of the window.  With his glyphs glowing bright and his eyes ablaze; the Transformer spoke

"I am Dark Prime of the Autobot/Decepticon Alliance, assigned to guard Evangelion Pilot Shinji Ikari.  Vacate the area or be destroyed" he said in his coldest possible voice

At this exact moment: Megatron, Starscream and the others showed up; transformed with guns drawn.  Dark Prime grinned and drew his sword.  Grimlock and other Dinobots remained in their Dinosaur mode.  Sludge wandered over to the window and looked for Rei.  When he saw her and she was okay, he bobbed his head in joy

"Rei Okay, Rei Okay" he cried in his soft and sweet voice

"Yes Sludge, I am uninjured" she replied

"What in the hell is going on?" someone asked

While all this was happening, Optimus Prime arrived, as he drove through the blockades; he contacted Silverbolt to evacuate the pilots and Skyfire to come and get the rest of the school, Skylynx as well.  Then Optimus himself transformed and stood at the head of the small army: Proton Blaster primed, aimed and ready.

"As we were saying, we are the Transformers.  It is our sworn duty to defend these children with our lives" Optimus said

"You want them, come get them!" Grimlock roared

*********************

Misato, having caught wind of this event, was running to Tracks with Ritsuko and Kaji in hot pursuit.  They were at one point stopped by guards: however Rumble and Soundwave managed to convince them to stand aside and let the group past, Rumble was still running with them to make sure they weren't stopped again

"What the hell is going on out there?" Misato asked as she jumped into the driver's seat

"I don't know, but we better get there fast" Kaji replied and got in beside her

"I think that was a rhetorical question" Ritsuko said while she buckled her seatbelt

"Come on Tracks, get the lead out" Rumble shouted as he got in beside Ritsuko

"Okay, here we go.  Hang on to your lunch folks" Tracks said

Tracks kicked into gear and turned on the speed.  They were going nearly 230 kph when the Nerv barrier loomed ahead of them.  Tracks merely launched a couple of Plasma Missiles and obliterated the door.  Doing a handbrake drift to turn the corner, Tracks launched into the air as soon as he had enough speed; scaring the collective crap out of his human passengers

"Sorry, I forgot to mention I could fly" Tracks said

"Slipped your mind I trust?" Misato asked sarcastically 

"Uh, yeah, yeah it did" the car replied

"Men" Misato groaned

"Hey" Rumble, Kaji and Tracks said in unison

"Hey Tracks, mate, we got company.  JSSDF fighters up our ass" Rumble alerted his friend to the situation

"Thank you Rumble; I see them" Tracks muttered as he deployed some hover mines

"Tracks to Skywarp and Thundercracker; I could use a bit of help here lads" Tracks called to Starscream's brothers

"We here ya Uber-Seeker and we're already here" Thundercracker said and pulled up along side one of the planes

"Hey man, pull over.  This is a no fly zone" he chortled at the JSSDF pilot's shocked reaction

Skywarp transformed and waved at the other one, causing him to lose his concentration and fly in to an abandoned building.  Chuckling at the man's poor piloting ability; Skywarp went up to flank his brother on the other jet, whom his brother was relentlessly tormenting the other fighter pilot with barbs and other insults

"Just splash him 'Cracker, we have more important things to attend to" Skywarp reminded his brother

"Yeah yeah, keep yer armour on" Thundercracker replied

"Please do" Tracks put in

"Kiss my butt the pair of ya" Skywarp growled and activated the teleportation device from which he derived his name

"He is such a sensitive prick" Thundercracker chuckled

"And you're in an insensitive prick, it's an even balance" Rumble growled

Misato watched on in a silent wonderment: she knew these machines walked and talked, but she wasn't convinced up until now that they were sentient creatures: just watching what seemed like normal jabs and insults thrown between two people in Rumble and Skywarp, Misato saw more humanity in them than in any other person she'd met in a long time.  The camaraderie was also just as complex as any group of human marines or other soldiers she'd ever met.

[Living, breathing, feeling machines.  Amazing she thought and sat back as Tracks veered violently off course

"Tracks, what the fuck?" Rumble yelped as he hit the floor

"Prime's orders; get these three to Fort Max, the others will be there soon" Tracks said

"What about the other school children?" Kaji asked

"Skyfire and Skylynx are taking care of them as we speak" Thundercracker explained what was going on at the school

"Fuck you lot are efficient" Ritsuko swore

"Comes with being 150 million years old babe, we learn how to do shit cos we got nothing better to do" Rumble smirked at the scientist.

****************************

At the school, the battle was fierce and loud: the earth machines pounded the building in hopes of hitting the Eva pilots, but the Transformers put themselves in harm's way to save them.  The superior weapons wielded by the giant robots were making short work of the small army; especially, the human commanders noticed, the sword the black one had.  Dark Prime was in his element: combat and death were his territory and no one who saw him battle would ever think differently.

"How is the evacuation going?" Prime asked

"Last group, then the protectorates; Silverbolt got a little held up" Starscream replied as he fired his Null Rays at a few jets

"Good: Starscream, take Asuka now—Skywarp, I want you to take Rei, now" he said to the now present brother of Starscream

"Which one is she?" he asked

"The one with blue hair dumb arse" Megatron muttered as he fired his canon at a large tank battalion

"Okay got her" he said

"Asuka, ready to fly like never before?" Starscream asked as she got in

"Yeah, just get us the hell out of here" Asuka said and shrunk down in the cockpit

Shinji was the only one at a loose end: he was wandering around inside the school aimlessly.  Way he figured it; he didn't deserve the protection of the Transformers, let alone their best warrior so he thought maybe if he gave himself up; then the attack would stop and no one would get hurt.  He was so lost in his reverie that he didn't notice the stray .22 inch shell coming at him till the last minute.  With a yell he dove out of the way and landed between the feet of one of the other Transformers

"SHINJI!" Dark Prime screamed; then growled as he stared at the man that fired that shell

"Dark Prime, TRANSFORM" the demon Autobot said

Dark Prime didn't transform like his brethren did; his body flowed like a liquid into its alternate shape, but the whir and whiz of servos and gears was still audible.  Few had ever seen the alternate form of Dark Prime; those that did had a tendency to die quickly.  Dark Prime's alternate mode was a dragon: with large black leathery wings, red eyes that burnt like magma and long sharp claws on his feet and hands.  The end of his tail held his sword.  Throwing his head back and roaring; Dark Prime struck.

His vengeance was swift and terrible: he soared above the human battle group and lay down attacks of fire.  With skyward foes he lashed out using his tail and claws, destroying everything in his path that dared oppose him.  While he was doing that, Optimus signalled that they could retreat, the battle was won.  Optimus picked up the unconscious Shinji and placed him in his cab and drove away

"Transformers!  We have won this battle, let us return home" Megatron yelled to the troops

All bar Dark Prime immediately responded for he was still ripping apart the Seele forces with maximum prejudice until he found a single soldier hiding under a tank carcass.  He picked the man up in his large clawed hands.  Dark Prime was about to break the man in two when a picture fell from the breast pocked of the man's jacket.  Dark Prime paused and zoomed in on the photo: it was dated a few days ago and was of the soldier he was holding, nursing his newborn child with his wife and other family in the picture.  Lowering his head, Dark Prime dropped the hapless soldier

"Go back to your family; there has been enough death here today" Dark Prime muttered and took to the sky towards his base

***************************

In deep space, a behemoth of a creature moved silently through the stillness of the eternal night.  His name was Zeruel, the 14th Angel sent by his brethren to retrieve his father and mother from the hands of the insects known as humans.  Normally he wouldn't even be involved, but the human race had mutilated and desecrated his mother to use as their weapon against him and his kind.  So he was filled with a rage with no equal.  Unbeknownst to the Angel, a greater and more evil power watched him and decided to move

"Welcome, Zeruel" Unicron's deep voice boomed

"What is this?" Zeruel hissed back in his own tongue

"I have summoned you here for a purpose" the giant planet eater said

"No one summons an Angel" Zeruel roared angrily and fired his most powerful beams at Unicron

"Hehe, it most definitely pleases me to have been the first to do so" Unicron rumbled as he felt a small ding on his body.

Zeruel drew himself back in horror: this beast took his attack as if it were nothing and kept going.  Unicron felt a large surge of pleasure to know that he was more powerful than the legendary Angels and decided to get to the point.  His and Zeruel's goals more or less went hand in hand.  Unicron would normally just eat the Earth and be on his way, but he knew that the Transformers were on Earth, and with them, The Matrix, the only thing he feared.  So he figured if he helped the Angel's win, the Transformers would leave and Earth and the device known as Evangelion Unit 1 would be his.

"I have come to help you, Zeruel.  I have a bargain for you" the planet spoke

"What bargain?" Zeruel asked

"If you will destroy the humans that inhabit Earth, I shall grant here and now the powers to defeat what your brothers and sisters could not" Unicron prodded Zeruel's pride and want of success

"You assert that I am WEAK!" Zeruel bellowed, shaking asteroids and planets around him with his terrible voice

"I ASSERT WHAT I WILL" Unicron's voice however, shattered all that it touched and nearly killed Zeruel

"As you can see, insect, I am far more powerful than you are.  I offer you power beyond your own kind to avenge them: do you accept?" Unicron asked

"Yes" Zeruel choked

"Excellent" Unicron answered and began to reform the Angel

Zeruel felt as if his body was being torn apart molecule by molecule.  He felt it twisting and reshaping itself to some unknown shape and design.  Once the pain faded however, Zeruel felt power like never before flow through his body.  His new shape had merely improved on his old one; greatly.  He now had full length legs and proper arms.  But his arms were wrapped in what looked like bandages

"Where are my weapons?" he asked

"Use them as you always did" Unicron answered

Zeruel did so and the 'bandages' on his arms flew out in all directions, slicing and cutting all that they touched.  His energy beams were more powerful than they had ever been.  Unicron however, was growing impatient at Zeruel's arrogance with his new powers and decided to show him that HE was in control.  No one knows what he does, but Unicron caused severe pain through out Zeruel's body

"Now go, and destroy the humans"

"Yes, my, master" Zeruel spat the words, but Unicron let him go

With that; Zeruel sped towards Earth faster than he thought possible.  Upon his arrival he would defeat the abominations used against his kind to defend Earth and he would reclaim his mother and father from their dirty hands.  Zeruel let a long and evil laugh fill the void around him as he came closer to his target.


	9. Rise of the Dark Evangelion

*********************

Misato was still in a state of shock: she was standing in a living being, someone who could walk, talk, feel and die.  She reached out and tentatively brushed her hands against a wall.  She marvelled at how warm it was; all the walls in Nerv were metal and they were cold and cruel.  These walls belonged to an alien machine yet she felt more human warmth in them than she felt in Gendo Ikari when she had to meet him

"I DON'T BITE" a voice boomed, in a friendly way

"AH" Misato jumped a mile high, causing Ritsuko and Rumble to laugh

"Maximus how many times have we told you not to scare people like that?" Tracks asked as he grabbed an Energon drink

"MEH" the city Transformer replied

"Just don't let him scare you.  He's friendly enough after that" Frenzy said as he kicked up his shoes and ordered a drink of 'the hard stuff'

"Rumble, what's the hard stuff?" Ritsuko asked

"Our equivalent of tequila slammers.  High grade Energon fuel that knocks the crap out of you" he said with a wry chuckle

"Oh god, Misato, I wouldn't touch that if I were you" Ritsuko said as she saw Misato eyeing a cup of the purple concoction

"Why, its only booze" she said

"I never said it was booze, Misato.  It takes the term 'rocket fuel' literally" Rumble explained

"Wha?" Misato went pale

"We siphon off Omega Supreme's fuel, distil it a bit for flavour and bingo, the hard stuff" Skywarp said as he drained a glass, Russian style, of said fuel

"You guys DRINK fuel?" she asked incredulously

"What you think we live on beer and bad instant food like you do?" Thundercracker said, although he was already 3 sheets to the wind

"Come on, we have things to discuss" Optimus Prime spoke to Misato and Ritsuko

"Uh, sure" she answered and followed the big robot

With little else to do other than watch the Transformers get pissed; Kaji followed the two women.  They were led down a very long corridor.  Kaji did marvel at how well lit the place was: in Nerv he wasn't sure if it was Gendo trying to skimp on decent lights or he deliberately made most places in there dark to give off a feeling of foreboding.  Either way, he had to adapt mole vision to see in that place when he went hunting.  They arrived in a large room where 4 other Transformers were waiting

"Misato I'd like you to meet Ultra Magnus and Cyclonus.  The best strategists this army has to offer" Optimus introduced them

"Major" Magnus said

"Greetings" Cyclonus said in his oily voice

"Major Katsuragi I want you to discuss with these two everything you know about Eva combat strategy" Optimus said and moved on

"Okay…." Misato said while scratching her head

"Dr. Akagi this is Perceptor and this is Scrapper.  Each an expert in his chosen field.  Perceptor is a scientist like you and Scrapper is an engineer" Optimus explained

"What does this have to do with me?" she asked

"I want you to go over everything regarding the Evas.  How to fix them, store them and build them.  We need to know this" Optimus said and walked towards the door

"Why do you need this information?" Kaji asked

"One doesn't plan to obtain a plant without somewhere to put it does one" Optimus said cryptically and left the room

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Misato asked Magnus

"Yes it does.  We are going to steal the Evangelions; and you can operate from here" Cyclonus answered and sat down

"Now; doctor.  Your expertise please" Perceptor motioned for Ritsuko to come and see what he was looking at

[This is going to end badly, I can feel it in my bones] Ritsuko thought as she went over to Perceptor

*********************

In one of the many small areas of Fortress Maximus; Shinji and Rei were sitting watching the ocean go past them.  They hadn't had much of a chance to be alone with each other in the past few days and since they both loved the ocean; Shinji made a point of finding a room where they were secluded from the others and they could see the ocean.  It was Sideswipe that pointed him in the direction of 'make out tunnel'.  Shinji went a shade deeper than Sideswipe's paintjob when the Transformer had said that was the place's name.

[It feels nice to be down here with her, it's relaxing and peaceful] Shinji thought and looked down at the resting beauty on his shoulder

Rei was snuggled right up to him and had her head on his shoulder while here eyes followed the fish and seahorses that seemed unperturbed by the presence of these four large city structures in their home.  Shinji had no end of enjoyment watching them frolic around the tubes and stuff outside.

"This is a nice place Shinji, thank you for finding it" Rei said, squeezing his hand

"You're welcome, besides, I wanted to spend time with you alone without everyone looking over our shoulders" Shinji said, kissing the top of her head

[She uses a nice shampoo] Shinji observed a scent of, apples, in Rei's hair

And so the pair just sat there; content with each other's company and the beauty of the ocean spread before them.  Rei turned her face up to Shinji and gently pulled his head towards hers for a lingering and tender kiss.  Both seemed to formulate the same plan and thought at the same time and they retreated to Shinji's room and locked the door.  Dark Prime could feel some kind of emotional upsurge from Shinji's mind and it didn't take him long to work out what it was either

"My, my, Shinji you sly devil you" he muttered with a most lurid grin and continued to smoke his cigarette and read the paper from Cybertron

*************************

The next day; Gendo Ikari was now beyond furious: he was livid; these insolent Transformers had taken his best scientist and his best strategist and his pilots.  This was to his mind totally intolerable and unacceptable and he had to do something about it.  What was worse was the media were halfway up his arse and all the way down his throat demanding to know if the attack on the Junior High was the doing of an extremist group and if the machines that defended it were of Nerv's creation so all in all; Gendo's day had gone from bad to worse.

"I'm starting to loose my patience with these people Fuyutski: they are impeding my mission" he growled to his confident

[And what a shame that is] Fuyutski had prayed long and hard for something, anything to happen that would throw a proverbial spanner in the works

[These Transformers have done more than throw a spanner in the works, they've ripped a few cogs out too] he laughed quietly at his analogy

"This is no laughing matter" Gendo heard the laughing but fortunately not the reason

"Sorry, I was just remembering an old joke I heard" he lied

"Remember jokes in your own time" Gendo snarled and returned to his desk awaiting the irate Seele call, although he knew this stuff up was their fault because they sent the army to the school in the first place

Sure enough he got the call to report to the council chambers for a meeting to discuss the ramifications of the events of late.  Gendo walked silently towards his meeting but he pondered.  If one thing can be said of Gendo positively, it is that he wastes no time and is always thinking about something, always checking or investigating something.  His reverie of his problems was stopped when he approached the door to the Seele Council Chambers.  Breathing in and holding it he opened the door and walked in and sat down

"Gentlemen" he addressed the assembly

*****************

*****************

Inside Fortress Maximus, an air of peace seemed to have settled among the inhabitants; even Misato was relaxing.  But the most relaxed individuals in the whole base were Shinji and Rei.  Both lay cuddled up on Shinji's bed asleep and peaceful.  Outside the door were Dark Prime and Grimlock.  They were 'debating' whether to inform Misato of what happened

"She'll freak out" Dark Prime said, dragging on his cigarette

"Why?" Grimlock was confused; as far as he knew, what happened came naturally to humans and even Transformers

"Cos she's worried about the age thing, I honestly don't think it's a big deal myself; but, maybe I'm not looking at it in the right light" he said and flicked the ash into an ashtray

"They just love each other.  Nothing wrong with that" Grimlock pointed out

Dark Prime turned his head and stared at the Dinobot leader and contemplated possibly the first really intelligent thing that Grimlock had ever said.  Rei and Shinji loved each other and that was all there was to it according to Grimlock and maybe, just maybe he was right about that.

"You know what Grimlock, you're right" Dark Prime said and stood up: the needed him for the mission that lay ahead

"Grimlock; you go with them everywhere once they leave this room, aside from the toilets and other private rooms, be near them" Dark Prime instructed his friend

"Okay" Grimlock nodded

********************

Dark Prime thanked him and jogged to the mission briefing room: at the table sat Optimus, Megatron, Ultra Magnus and Cyclonus, and Elita 1.  Dark Prime took his place and awaited the plan to be laid out.  Once Misato and Ritsuko took their seats, Optimus Prime began

"Okay: we have finished building gantries for the Evangelions.  Their diagnostic and monitoring systems have been built.  All we need now is the Evas themselves" he said

"And how do you propose to get them?" Misato asked

"Dark Prime, along with Elita 1 will get them.  The Combaticons and the Aerialbots will distract Nerv's attentions for a while to allow them entry to retrieve them.  We have one chance at this, and we can't stuff it up" Ultra Magnus explained at length

"Oh joy, I get to totally waste myself again" Dark Prime muttered

"Listen up people, if we pull this off right, Nerv is fucked.  They can't hurt anyone else without those Evangelions" Megatron said

"Okay, okay, just let's get it over with.  When do we leave?" Elita 1 asked

"Tonight, when there is a skeleton crew on duty" Cyclonus replied and grinned

"So get some sleep everyone, you will need it" Optimus urged

"Does that mean you'll be joining the Technobots and the Stunticons in the bar, Optimus?" Dark Prime asked smoothly

"And you ever have a night at home with someone" Optimus shot back, although he did go slightly red, so did Elita 1

The table erupted into cheers and whistles and laughter at the expense of Optimus Prime.  He was among his closet comrades and friends here.  Some he'd called enemy, now they were invaluable to him and he to them.  They'd supported each other and now all the hoping and waiting was going to pay off.  He chuckled with them himself now and Elita used the opportunity to smack Dark Prime upside the head with the butt of her rifle.  This made the laughter increase

"Come on Misato; that was kind of funny" Ritsuko said once she'd calmed down a bit

"Yeah, I suppose it was" she said when she arrived at the area that housed the human quarters of the city.

She saw Grimlock lying in front of Shinji's room.  With a confused look on her face, she went and spoke to the dinosaur robot who is playing a gameboy.

"Ah, Grimlock: aren't you supposed to be guarding Rei?" she asked

"I am" he replied and went back to playing his gameboy

"How can you be; these are Shinji's quarters" Misato said

"I know.  They both in there, I watching Shinji for Dark Prime also" he answered

Gears moved, synapses fired, and wires connected in the minds of both women and at the same moment, as if they'd grown 'My Favourite Martian' antennas and beamed the information to each other.

"They slept together!" Ritsuko was the one that cried out

"Yeah I know" Misato said, she seemed to have misconnected a wire in how Ritsuko meant her words to be interpreted

"Not slept, Misato; _slept_" Ritsuko accentuated the word slept with a wink

"OH MY GOD" Misato cried out and ran towards the door.

She was given a rude awakening when Grimlock stopped her by lying in front of the door in his dinosaur mode.  Misato tried to stare the Dinobot commander down but she was doomed from the start: Grimlock could stare anyone bar Dark Prime down.  Then Misato and Ritsuko began throwing opinions and laws at Grimlock.  This of course meant nothing to the simpleminded Dinobot: he'd been asked to safeguard this room and those in it by a trusted friend and ally and he would do so.  Dark Prime returned several minutes later to see the bickering trio.  He knew the door was thick but that was a lot of noise

"SILENCE" he boomed, his glyphs lighting up the dim corridor with a fiery glow

"What is the meaning of this racket?" he demanded in the silence

"Shinji and Rei have-" Ritsuko began

"I know what they have done, if I thought there was something improper going on I would have intervened.  I saw no need" he said and shuffled beside Grimlock to rest before the mission

"They're only 14 for Christ's sake!" Misato cried

"What are so worried about?" Dark Prime asked exasperatedly

"Pregnancy for one" Misato said dryly

"Last time I checked, pregnancy wasn't possible for Rei" Dark Prime growled and shifted his sword

"What?" Misato's argument had just been seriously derailed

"If you ask the good doctor you will find out that due an order by none other than Gendo Ikari: Rei's ovaries and uterus were surgically removed before the arrival of Shinji" Dark Prime said, shooting the scientist an angered look

"What?  Is this true?" Misato asked

"Yeah, this true?" Grimlock jumped up

"Yes, it is true: Rei Ayanami will never naturally conceive children of her own" Ritsuko admitted

"Oh dear god: that kind of violation is nearly as bad as rape.  He deserves to die" Misato sobbed as the reality of her friend's words sunk in

"Indeed he is; but a great English writer once wrote 'Many that live deserve death and many that die deserve life', it is not our place in the universe to decided such things" Dark Prime spoke at length

"Gendo bad man, hurt Rei, he die if Dinobots get him" Grimlock had sent this information to his comrades and they all agreed to a 'blood oath' to kill Gendo Ikari if they found him

"Grimlock, it isn't our place to deal out life and death as we see fit, Dark Prime is right" they all turned and saw Optimus Prime

"But it still isn't appropriate what the did.  What gives him the right to do such things to people?" Misato screamed

"There are two people behind that door, they are both asleep.  Take this conversation elsewhere for their peace" Dark Prime cried

"I agree: Major Katsuragi, Dr. Akagi: please follow me" Optimus Prime slowly and quietly began walking down the hallway

With little other choice in the matter, Ritsuko and Misato followed him.  Dark Prime checked his chronometer: he had 4 hours to rest before he went off and did a Goodbye Lady Liberty, times 3.  Sighing he settled down and went to sleep.  Not knowing his greatest challenge still lay ahead of him.

***********************

It was late night shift at Nerv, even the commander wasn't there: he was at whatever it was he called a home and so was Fuyutski.  The mainstream members of Nerv were all at home, there now were only a few people in the whole base.  Two of which were the fathers of Toji and Mari, and Hikari and Kodama.  The two men were beside themselves with worry for their children.  All of them were in some undersea city with giant robots and they had no idea if they were friend of foe.  In the science area, they discussed their dilemmas.

"Think the kids are okay?" Musashi Horaki asked

"I don't know; Toji seemed to be having the time of his life when he rang me.  I don't know but these being can't be all bad: I mean they did save everyone in that school" Takada Suzaharra said

"True, Hikari said that Kodama and your daughter Mari were getting help beyond that of Nerv.  She said that these Transformers will allow your daughter to walk again" Musashi added, trying to cheer his workmate up

"Yes, Toji said the same thing to me.  At first I didn't believe it until Mari said she could feel her legs again" Takada dropped the test tube he was holding as he began shaking again

"Again?" the other man asked

"Yes; I don't know when it started or why; just that it has" Takada groaned as he sat down and moved his fingers and clenched a fist a few times to get the blood flowing again

"You should see a doctor about this" Musashi counselled

"When do I have time to see a doctor?  The commander wants all this crap done yesterday.  I get sick and its leave with out pay and a serious threat to my position and I need this job for my family" Takada wailed and nearly broke down from stress.

Then without warning, alarms and klaxons went berserk all over the base and nearly deafened the two men with the suddenness of their sound off.  Then Takada saw a yellow field engulfing the room and on reflex thought it was an AT Field but before he could do anything it hit him and he saw only black.

Meanwhile; Elita 1 and Dark Prime made their way to the Evangelion gantry area.  In their arms were phase shifters.  Upon reaching the Evangelions and placing the phase shifters on each Eva; Dark Prime told Elita 1 to grab an Eva.  She released her hold on the base and collapsed over the foot of Eva 00.  Dark Prime then concentrated all of his power and mind towards a single goal: the teleportation of these three giants to their new homes inside Fortress Maximus.  With a great flash of white and black light, they all disappeared from Nerv HQ.

Inside the new gantry area for the Evas, Predaking, Superion and Computron were waiting.  Another flash and their targets arrived: each gestalt carefully grabbed hold of one Eva.  Predaking was chosen for Eva 1 since his animalistic pride and fearless nature allowed him to look at the purple demon's face without flinching.  After Ratchet and First Aid recovered Elita 1 and Dark Prime from the area in a fatigued state: each gestalt gently lifted each Eva and placed it in a gantry.

[Incredible, they lift them as if they are made of nothing but tinfoil] Rei thought as she and the other humans watched their Evas being moved to their new home

"We still have to fight don't we?" Shinji asked, placing his head in the crook of Rei's neck

"Yes" she answered softly, feeling Shinji nip her neck

Misato then saw Rei do something very out of the ordinary; with a playful look in her eyes, the albino gently elbowed Shinji in the ribs.  He made mock pain noises as Rei turned her head to speak directly into her lover's ear.  Only the Transformers hear the comment she made, but it was later revealed as 'Down boy, wait till later'.  As Ritsuko supervised the connection of the Evas to their monitoring systems and such, Misato made a beeline for the two young lovers in her midst.

"Well, did you two have a pleasant sleep?" she asked, a predatory glint in her eyes

"Yes major, we did" Rei answered quietly but not without a certain; smug satisfaction

"S, sure we did" Shinji was less enthused about sharing such information with anyone

Rei allowed a small smile to grace her face as she silently chuckled at Shinji's nervous behaviour.  She did not fault him for not being open about that 'section' of their relationship since it was for all intents and purposes private and he was very candid about the other parts of their relationship.

"Well, that must have been very good for the both of you" she continued, circling them like a shark does its prey.

"Yes it was very good" Rei's answer held an unintentional innuendo.

Before Misato could continue in her line of questioning, an alert sounded through out the Stronghold: they had detected an Angel heading for Tokyo 3 at high speed.  Megatron then turned to the pilots and said something

"Okay, time to fight" he said and also scrambled the gestalt teams as their backups

"As I dreaded.  We fight again" Shinji mumbled as he got changed into his plugsuit.

"At least this time we are well backed up" Asuka interjected

"True, but the fact remains without us they could not defeat the Angel by themselves" Rei said

"I think you are forgetting Dark Prime: he managed to neutralize the last Angel's AT Field" Shinji reminded them

"Still, we have 3 AT Fields, they have 1" Rei reasoned and pressed the button on her suit

In a laboratory in Metroplex, Wheeljack, Pipes, Perceptor and the Constructicons were hard at work developing something.  They had been working on it for millions of years but the most progress had been made over the past 15 years or so in the development of an Anti-AT Field generator.  This was the highest priority scientific project to be undertaken since the successful development of the transport rings.  Now they were on the verge of a breakthrough.

"Will these work?" Optimus Prime asked as he examined the devices: it was flat, rectangular and about the area of his hand.

"I hope so: We're giving the first prototype to Devastator since he has the best sensor array of all of the gestalts" Perceptor said

"We owe a great deal to Hook on this project at any rate; his micro-welding abilities are unrivalled" the scientist said

"Thank you" Hook said with is trademark smugness

"Button it you; they have to work first" Scrapper chided his team mate

"Okay, give them a trial run in this battle.  Hopefully nothing to bad will go wrong" Optimus said as he went to the command deck to join Misato: how could he know how wrong he was

********************

Zeruel was laying waste to the city of Tokyo 3: he wasn't yet in range enough to breach the shelter area but his current shots were turning the city into a wasteland.  He was marvelling at how much more powerful he was thanks to Unicron.  Zeruel used his blade ribbons to cut up aircraft that came within range, and since his range was anywhere he could see, it wasn't overly difficult.  He was having such fun when the Evas seemed to appear out of nowhere, along with several other robots.  These were like those that killed his favourite sister, the one that came before him to rescue their mother and father.  With his rage he attakcked.

"RAISE AT FIELD" Asuka bellowed

"Roger" the other said and did the same

Zeruel's attack was swift and vicious with pounding strikes and the use of his blades to keep the others at bay.  It eventually ended up that Zeruel had sliced off Asuka's arms and head, rendering her unable to battle.  She was teleported back to the Stronghold

"Such weakness, I expected more from you" Zeruel crowed and launched himself at Shinji

"We need to use the Anti-AT Field generator" Devastator said to himself and ran into the fray

He acted in huge error.  The effect of an Anti-AT Field and an ordinary AT Field coming together is a lot like that of matter and antimatter with less devastating results: never the less, when Devastator activated the device within range of the Angel; the results were less than desirable and resulted in the total disabling and knocking out of Shinji's Eva and Shinji himself, although he passed out seeing the Angel making a beeline for Rei with his blades up and ready

"NOOOOO!" he cried before passing out

In his medical berth in the Stronghold, Dark Prime suddenly awoke to the scream of Shinji in his head.  He looked all around saw Elita 1 beside him on the way to recovery.  Grabbing his sword and stumbling out of the Medbay Dark Prime staggered towards the teleporters.  He could sense Shinji was in serious turmoil and that Rei was in pain.  He made it and set the coordinates so he appeared beside Eva 01.  With a vain hope in his heart, Dark Prime went through the teleport ring

"I pray I am not too late" he said as he approached the badly damaged Evangelion

He saw the Angel playing with Unit 00 like a cat does with a mouse before it kills it.  Just looking at the Angel he could sense Unicron's hand in its extraordinary powers.  Still staggering he floated up and perched himself on the beast's chest and looked into its eyes.  With his resolve and strength waning, he spoke quickly

"I have a bargain for you Yui Ikari: let me merge with Evangelion 01 and together we shall destroy he who wronged your son" he said

"My son is already one with Eva, what do you offer to enrich us?" she asked

"My powers and my knowledge" he replied

"Agreed then, come join us; Dark Prime" Yui answered and accepted Dark Prime by absorbing him through the core

There was a flash of light and every single dial and scientific gauge all over the world blew out and registered high-energy spikes and an unknown power source.  In the Stronghold Misato and the other Transformers shield their eyes from the bright light.  Ritsuko only gulped as she contemplated the consequences.

Outside, the Angel had dropped Eva 00 and she was helped to safety by the gestalts.  As for Eva 01: it had become black and shimmered with a liquid like sheen.  The glyphs that were on Dark Prime's body were now on this body.  A long black cape flowed like an obsidian flame from his back.  An antenna grew from each side of the head and angled out.  The sword Dark Prime wielded seemed to glide from the Eva's body into a hand.  It then drew the rest of the blade from its body and held the sword down.  Suddenly the eyes of the Eva burst open and burnt like molten rock.  Zeruel looked at the Eva.

"Evangelion Unit 01?" Zeruel said

"No" the voice was like an ice wind that touched them in the minds of everyone

"There is no more Unit 01, there is only…" a pause as everyone waited for something, anything, too happen.

The Eva shot forward and grabbed Zeruel by the neck.  Zeruel tried attacking with his beams and blades.  The blades melted as they contacted the skin of its adversary.  Zeruel felt his neck skin burn where the hand was.  Zeruel hit the ground.

"Dark Eva" it snarled


	10. Gifts

***************

"By Primus, what demon is this?" Optimus Prime asked as he watched the newly awakened Dark Eva decimate the Angel

"Ritsuko, is this some kind of ultimate failsafe?" Misato asked

"No, the Eva was never meant to be this powerful.  I do not know this beast" she answered

Nerv (or what was left of it after the mass sackings following the Eva theft) were also in awe.  Gendo narrowed his eyes at the Evangelion's image.  This was in theory where it should all start; his plans and his scenarios that he had scheduled to the minute were being figuratively crapped upon by these interfering Transformers; and now it seemed they had empowered Eva Unit 01 beyond what anyone could ever hope for.  But that power was not under his command; nor the pilot at his whim.  He slammed his fist on his desk.

"Curse them, curse them all" he snarled and ordered the city defence systems to fire on both targets

******************

As missiles, bullets and other ordinance were thrown at the combatants; Dark Eva had stood on Zeruel's core and was cutting him up like a turkey dinner.  He sensed the ammunition coming his way and only growled his response.

"Do not presume to hurt me mortal" he stopped all the weaponry cold in the air 

"What are you, Unicron promised me the power to crush your kind" Zeruel groaned

"Unicron?  WHY DO YOU SPEAK OF UNICRON?" Dark Eva picked Zeruel up by the bloody stump of one arm

"He bestowed upon me my stronger powers" Zeruel knew he would die, why lie about this now

"I have a message for you Unicron: the pieces are in place and we have all but one of the required objects for your defeat at our hands" he snarled this in Zeruel's face knowing it would reach Unicron

Before Zeruel could do anything more; he was thrown up and impaled on Dark Eva's sword, sliding down the blade slowly and painfully.  Then with a mighty throw; Dark Eva threw Zeruel into the air and held his sword in such a way that he seemed to be preparing a massive horizontal slash.  The blade began glowing black and red and eventually a flame like aura surrounded the blade.  With a ferocious slash towards Zeruel, the energy flung from the sword blade like ammo from a catapult towards his enemy.  Zeruel screamed as the energy cut right through him.  A second and third strike was the end of him and he exploded

"Now for my next target: Gendo Ikari" he declared and flew towards the Nerv building

"Oh hell!  We need to stop him!" Superion cried and ran to try and catch Dark Eva

Gendo Ikari was retreating to the lower levels of Nerv: if the Dark Eva was running on what he thought it was, then like Unit 00 it would try and kill him.  His face remained stone-like as he reached Heaven's Gate: the passage way to Terminal Dogma.  Swiping his card he entered and closed the door: hoping it would at least delay the creature.

[If only I had one more Evangelion] he thought

Dark Eva however was a creature of many powers: most of which he gained from Dark Prime: the favourite appeared to be the phasing ability that was allowing him to just flow through the levels of Nerv.  Anyone whom he passed through instantly screamed from being touched by such power.  He approached Terminal Dogma's roof and a malicious grin spread across his head and he went around the section so he was instead underneath the area.  Gendo was on a chair in a control room in Terminal Dogma when he felt a presence behind him.  He shuddered despite himself and turned around and finally came face to face with Dark Eva

"So at last vengeance will be had for your son, your wife and the dozens of innocent people you have murdered" he spoke softly with edge, his skin gleaming black and flowing like a liquid

"If you kill me, what is gained other than my release from this life?" Gendo asked

"I didn't say I was going to kill you" Dark Eva hissed; his eyes now glowed bright

"I will give you the ultimate punishment, your mind will be opened to me and your secrets revealed" he crowed and a beam of light shone from his eyes, engulfing Gendo

Gendo felt his mind being torn apart and its information taken from him.  Everything he knew: Second Impact, Seele, Marduk, and The Lance of Longinus.  A mere morsel of this information could cause the death of thousands and the toppling of governments.  All of it would give the holder a power equal to God himself.  Dark Eva however cared not for power or conquest so he simply took it and stored it.  When he finished, he made one more stop before he left: Gendo Ikari was a quivering wreck on the ground of his base.

Dark Eva examined the Angel on the cross and even more closely he examined the weapon in its chest.  He reached out and touched the weapon: its composition was as mysterious as his own and its power almost as deadly and legendary.  The Lance of Longinus or the Spear of Destiny as it was also known, was a weapon that if united with the right bearer would have untold powers.  With determination he grabbed the Spear firmly and yanked it out of the Angel.  He noticed that the previously legless Angel had now regenerated its legs.  He heard a voice in his head, which he presumed came from the Angel

[They will come for you] it hissed, Dark Eva responded by cutting the Angel's head off

"Let them come: I am ready" he said and walked out of Terminal Dogma, leaving behind a mentally shattered Gendo and a disintegrating Angel

***************

The Transformers and Unit 00 awaited the resurfacing of Dark Eva from Nerv's remains.  They were nervous and twitchy due to the uncertainty of whom exactly Dark Eva would side with.  Rei was especially nervous: she knew that Shinji wanted nothing more than to cause his father pain like he'd caused him.  She knew also that Dark Prime was, despite what the other Transformers said, fiercely loyal and cared for Shinji.  Rei also knew the dark secret housed inside Evangelion Unit 01: the soul of Yui Ikari resided in it and she would now use the power she had to get back at those who wronged her son.

[I should warn Starscream that Soryu is in danger] Rei thought and radioed the Stronghold

"Yeah, what is it?" Blaster asked

"Tell Starscream to move Pilot Soryu, she will be in danger if Dark Eva proceeds on the course I expect him too" Rei explained

"Okay, I'll pass that tune along" Blaster replied and disconnected

Rei looked up in time to see Dark Eva appear from the ground while his eyes glowed with fire and rage.  The giant spectre looked around at his welcoming committee: he smiled knowing they were here to stop him should he go nuts.  Dark Eva could feel his energy slipping away: using so much power at one time drained him badly.  The tension was thick and no one breathed.  Then Dark Eva fell to the ground with a thundering crash.  The Transformers and Eva ran to help their comrade.

"Come on, we need to get him to the base" Superion said as he helped Predaking pick him up

"Defensor, activate Transport Gate" Bruticus said

"Gotcha" Defensor opened up a Transport Gate that would allow them to return to the Stronghold

[I hope we aren't to late to save him] Rei thought as she stepped through the swirling vortex

**********************

Ritsuko was supervising the project to try and retrieve Shinji from inside Dark Eva.  If she had been nervous about Eva 1 before, she was downright terrified now.  But she swallowed that fear and continued to instruct her associates on what to do: although they learned at a geometric rate and soon were anticipating her orders but they continued to obey because as Megatron is fond of saying: there is no substitute for experience and Ritsuko had a lot of that and they did not.

"Are the magnetic rods in place?" she spoke through a comm-headset

"Yeah, what about these scanning rings?" Pipes asked

"I'll get Perceptor to deal with them later; you just worry about those rods" Ritsuko answered

So the work went on; Misato was wandering around in a bad mood and Rei spent as much time as she could with the Dinobots; who like Shinji had the unique ability to lift her spirits.  She was surprisingly fond of sliding down Sludge's back.  Rei grinned: Sludge was more like a puppy than a dinosaur; albeit a large metal puppy, but he had that same affection for her that was unmatched among the other Dinobots.  Although she did find it odd that the Dinobots had sworn a blood oath to kill Commander Ikari.  Rei was thinking all this while sitting on top of Grimlock's head as they walked around the base as the Dinobots tried to remember where their room was.  Eventually they found it and in they went.

"This is an interesting place" Rei observed as the other Dinobots all jumped onto large couches and turned on a TV

A movie began playing on the screen.  Only Slag and Swoop watched it though.  Snarl went to brood in his room and Grimlock put Rei on a table before going to his room to play his guitar.  Sludge however picked Rei straight back up and plodded into his room.  Rei's eyes widened when she saw all the artwork that decorated Sludge's room: mainly it was pictures scored into metal plates with some kind of heat gun.  Sludge put Rei on his large worktable and put a small set of the same materials as his own in front of her.

"Here.  You try make picture.  It fun" Sludge said with a smile and began scoring his latest work.

Rei tentatively picked up the heat pen and looked at the sheet of metal in front of her: she was now at a crossroad: Rei was able to do difficult mathematics, pilot an Evangelion but she was stopped cold by being asked to draw a simple picture.  She'd never show any interest in the arts: mainly because she saw them as a frivolous and pointless activity that achieved nothing practical or constructive.  Sludge noticed her apprehension and spoke again

"Listen to your heart" Sludge said possibly the most profound thing he would ever say

"Okay" Rei answered

Closing her eyes and taking Sludge's advice; Rei began to draw on the metal, letting her hand go where it will on the sheet.  Rei wasn't sure how much time had passed when she finally opened her eyes and looked at the sheet metal.  Rei stared at what she had drawn: it was Shinji and herself when they had been at Yoko Beach on that Ferris Wheel, just as they kissed.  That day seemed a world away now.  Sludge looked at the picture approvingly and even clapped his hands

"It look nice; you really love Shinji" Sludge said

"Yes, I do" Rei replied then looked up

"Sludge, I want you to take me to the Evangelion gantry" Rei said

"Okay; why" he asked

"I have something to say" she replied and stepped on his hand.

*****************

Nerv psychiatric ward: a place where Nerv sent those who broke while in its service, and now even Gendo Ikari was there: Dark Eva had reduced him to a muttering wreck.  Fuyutski looked at his old student and although he felt pity for him; he knew that it was probably less than Gendo deserved for all he was going to do and had already done.  Sighing in resignation, Fuyutski left the ward and went to the Seele Council chambers where he would stand in for Gendo.

"Fuyutski; I understand that a great power has emerged on the side of the Eva pilots" Seele 3 said

"Yes, a being identifying itself as Dark Eva, I know that Unit 1 is a part of this being; another part is the pilot of the Eva in question" he told them what he knew

"And what is the last part?" Seele 5 asked

"I don't know: obviously something of great power" he answered

"This kind of mistake is inexcusable sub commander; I hope that you will be able to rectify the situation in place of your superior" Seele 1 boomed

"I will do what I can; but I have no Evas, what if during the next attack the pilots forsake us and leave us to our doom?" he asked

"That problem is being taken care of at the highest speed, you will just have to wait" Seele 8 flippantly threw the sub commander off

That was the end of the meeting and Fuyutski was left in the darkness to ponder the problems at hand.  He thought about it for a few hours and he came to a single conclusion: he had to ally Nerv with these Transformers so that the city would be safe from the Angels.  With a weary mind and body, Fuyutski left the council chamber and entered the main control room.

"Sub Commander, what can I do for you?" Maya asked

"I want you to send a message on all radio bands and frequencies" he said

"What message to do want me to send?" Maya prepared to send the message

"This is Nerv to the Transformers.  We wish to ally ourselves with you to defeat the Angels" he answered and asked Maya to record and transmit that message at 10 minute intervals.

"How long should I send the message?" Maya asked a last question

"Until you get a reply: call me when you do" Fuyutski replied

***********************

Sludge watched Rei intently as he carried her to the gantry in which Dark Eva stood.  Ritsuko was slumped over at her desk asleep.  Rumble had draped a blanket over her and was sitting on the ground by the desk, also asleep.  Rei wasn't sure why Rumble seemed so close to Ritsuko but from what she knew about the older woman, she was glad that someone, anyone, cared for her.  Turning to the jet-black super Eva; Rei saw its skin was still shimmering and moving like thick oil.  Rei placed her picture at the foot of the Eva

"Shinji; if you can hear me, come back to me.  I need you and I know you need me, please: return to us" she said and stepped away from the Eva

"That was nice of you" Sludge said as he led Rei back to her quarters

[Indeed it was] Optimus Prime watched from the sidelines with a smile

He walked over to the picture that Rei had put on the ground and his eyes softened: this girl was really in love with that young man.  Optimus looked up at the new incarnation of his friend and confidant.  His presence was looming beforehand and now it was downright ominous.  Prime took a small risk and touched the surface of Dark Eva: it was warm and somehow soft.

"I can't imagine what's going on in there" he whispered and went back to his office

***********************

Shinji opened his eyes: he was in a pure white place with no visible walls or doors.  It just seemed to go on forever in all directions, Shinji wasn't even sure if he was standing or floating in mid air.  He began calling out names: mainly Rei, Misato and Dark Prime.  Eventually he just couldn't call anymore and went into a sitting position to contemplate what exactly was going on.  As Shinji sat in contemplation, another figure appeared behind him; a woman with soft brown hair and gentle green eyes.  She let out a chuckle when she saw Shinji in his thoughtful pose

"AAAAGGGGHHHHH" Shinji screamed at the noise, the silence made anything sound loud

"Is that anyway to greet your mother?" Yui asked in mock hurt

"M, mother?" Shinji stuttered, taking in the face of the woman

"Yes, Shinji it's me, mum" she said

Shinji then performed the only logical course of action for a person in his somewhat peculiar position: he fainted, dropped like a dead deer.  Yui sighed and knelt beside the boy and brushed a strand of his hair out of his face.  Yui felt something behind her and she looked up: Dark Prime was looming over her.

"You gonna help me?" she asked

"Keep ya shirt on, I'll get him" Dark Prime grumbled and easily hefted the boy in his powerful arms

"Show off" Yui muttered as she followed him.

Shinji opened his eyes once again and looked around: this time he was in a field with flowers and, Rei.  But Rei seemed much older than he knew her to be; she looked almost 20 and wasn't in her usual clothes but was wearing a pair of jeans and sleeveless shirt.  Shinji blinked a couple of times and then managed to see himself in the lake that was sitting a few feet away: Shinji had lost his stringy figure and was now muscular and lean.  He looked at his belt and saw that it was a Jujitsu ranking belt: it was black with three green stripes.

"What in the hell?" he muttered.

The scene then fell away like sand and was replaced with a bleak and miserable place.  It looked like a back ally with all the strewn newspaper and other garbage.  As he walked around he saw something that truly horrified him: humans and transformers alike, being forced to be slaves under the watch of some grotesque beast with five faces and what looked like a whip.

"What happened here?" he wondered

Then again the scene disappeared from view and he saw Dark Prime: the black Transformer was his usual bleak and serious self when he looked Shinji straight in they eyes.

"I know what it is you saw, for it is also in my mind" Dark Prime said: quoting from a well known book and film

"What was all that?" he asked

"They are what could come to pass depending on the outcome of the battles ahead; there are more dangerous things than Angels in the deep of space" Dark Prime warned him

"Like what?" Shinji couldn't comprehend something more dangerous than an Angel

"Like the being who gave the 14th Angel his increased powers: his name is Unicron" Dark Prime answered

"Unicron, what in gods name is that?" Shinji asked

"A planet that transforms into a robot.  His power is nearly infinite and he fears one thing" Dark Prime told Shinji of Unicron

"What does he fear?" Shinji imagined a giant robot of great power

"Technically speaking, he fears you" Dark Prime wished he had a camera to record the look on Shinji's face at that moment

"ME?" Shinji squeaked

"Yes, or what you will become anyway" Dark Prime elaborated

"What will I become?" Shinji asked, fearfully

"That, is up to you" Dark Prime then faded away

"What?" Shinji started calling out for Dark Prime to give him an explanation.

Then a light appeared and Shinji could see the outside world; Misato, Rei, his friends, the other Transformers all trying to save him.  Shinji began running towards the light to get out of his mad place.  All the while Yui was trying not to yell out and stop him from leaving.  Dark Prime was holding her back from going to Shinji.

"He does not remember seeing you before; let him leave this place" he said

"Why should he, there is much pain in that world" Yui said with a sob

"But there is his shining light, his once last strand of hope and sanity: Rei" Dark Prime then showed Yui the times these two had

"He will be fine, and besides, I have bestowed upon him some powers to help him along the way" he assured her

"What powers?" Yui asked

"Prophecy, Second Sight, and Telepathy" Dark Prime smiled as he saw Shinji vanish from this plane

***********************

Unicron floated silently, ominously in space and he mused upon the defeat of Zeruel at the hands of the 'Dark Eva'.  This creature was what he had hoped to avoid the emergence of, but it seemed he under estimated the will of Dark Prime and Evangelion Unit 01's pilot.  A mistake he would not make again and to be sure of it, he made sure that the next Angel that passed him, Arael, would suitable told and empowered for the take ahead.

"Who are you to offer me power?" she spat at Unicron

"I am UNICRON, the Chaos Bringer" his voice was soulless and empty, Arael was paralysed with fear at this being, so she used her power against him

"Foolish being of flesh, my mind is not like that of a simple human" Unicron proved his words by sending a pulse of energy along Arael's own beam.

"AAAAGGGGHHHHH" it nearly fried her mind.

"Arael, I am here to help you: I shall give you powers with which you will destroy the Evas and all life on earth" Unicron then gave her, the same boost in power as he gave to Zeruel

"Now go, destroy the humans" he said and used his power to propel Arael to her targer.

[It will not be long now; despair Dark Prime for I am coming and not even the Matrix can stop me this time] Unicron silently crowed as he floated towards Earth also


	11. Starscream's Sacrifice

********************************8

Shinji's eyes creaked open like old doors with rusty hinges and he found himself in a white room.  At first he thought he was still, wherever it was he was when last he saw a pure white room.  Groggily sitting up in his bed, Shinji ascertained that he was in a hospital room, but it was unlike any that he'd seen before.  There were usually 4 or 5 pieces of equipment around him: in here there was only 1, and it was connected via an electrode to his temple.

"Oh do I have a headache like no other" he grumbled as he got out of the bed, removing the electrode as he did so.

Shinji walked over to what he assumed was a bathroom and went inside.  He washed his face in the dim room and reached for a light switch.  Lights came on and Shinji grabbed a towel to dry his face with.  When he removed the towel from his face he saw something he didn't expect; so his surprised yelp was not unexpected.  On his forehead was a symbol that looked like a third eye.  It was there only for a second and then it disappeared.  Shinji then began to scrutinise his body: he found two other symbols: one on his arm that looked like a large Celtic knot and a large one on his back that looked like a pair of folded dragon wings.

"What in the hell is going on here?" he wondered and ran out of the room just as three people ran in

Rei, Misato and Rewind came into see Shinji as he came barrelling out of the bathroom and fell down on to the floor.  Rei went to help him up.  When their hands touched: Shinji felt a surge go through his head like a bolt of lightning and in his mind's eye he saw a vision.  Rei was in her Eva and something was fusing with her Eva and Rei herself: it was causing her great pain.  He saw himself trying to save her but Rei pushed him away and then her Eva exploded.

"Shinji, are you alright?" Rei asked

"You, you died.  I saw your Eva explode" Shinji stuttered

"What?" Rei's blood froze

Shinji extended a trembling hand to Rei's face and brushed her cheek with his hand.  Then he ran his hand over her face as if to make sure Rei was real and not some tricky apparition of light and shadow.  Once convinced that his lover was indeed standing in front of him with a stricken look on her face, Shinji hugged her tightly; crying as he did.

"What in the world, how did he know that?" Ritsuko whispered

"Know what?" Frenzy asked

"What do you mean by that?" Misato hissed, grabbing Ritsuko by the collar

"I think it is time you knew everything about Second Impact and why Nerv really exists" Ritsuko said.

*******************

Human and Transformer alike stared at Ritsuko once her explanation as to the existence of Nerv; the Evangelions and even Rei herself.  Ritsuko told them of the Dead Sea Scrolls; the ancient and sacred documents held by Seele; they were the timetable that everything was set to and any deviation, however small was going to cause Seele severe problems.

"The worst thing is, you guys have put yourselves in the crossfire: Gendo and Seele are working towards the same goal, but with different methods and reasons" she said and lit her cigarette.

"On another note, have we discovered what is wrong with Shinji?" Misato asked

"His brain has been altered: how it was done I'm not sure but I think our big dark friend in the hanger can tell us.  Shinji is now a telepath as well as a seer" Perceptor said

"A what?" Ritsuko dropped her cancer stick

"Shinji can now read minds if he chooses, and he can see 'spirits' if you will.  Really all he can do is see across different planes of reality" Pipes explained

"How did that happen?" Kaji asked

"Well as far as we can tell, it happened while he was trapped in Dark Eva.  It is my belief that Dark Prime gave these powers to Shinji, and for a very good reason" Optimus said and looked at Rei

"I was told that Shinji saw you dying in the next engagement with the Angels; if this is true then we have an advantage over them" Optimus added

"I see" was all Rei said

Soundwave entered and then spoke to Megatron who got a very devious smile on his face.  He thanked and dismissed Soundwave before addressing the group.  He explained that Nerv had contacted them and was proposing a partnership effort.  He took great delight in explaining what Dark Eva did to Commander Ikari and what the man's current state was.

"So, shall we join with Nerv now that it is under the command of a more sane and trustworthy individual?" Ultra Magnus asked

"I think it would be worthwhile to enter into a partnership with them: but the children are to be guarded at all times" Cyclonus added

"Agreed, Ikari may still have elements in Nerv working for him" Hot Rod said

"What do you think Major Katsuragi?" Megatron asked

"Sub Commander Fuyutski is a good man.  We can safely deal with him" Ritsuko said

Rumble looked at Ritsuko as she said that; her eyes went slightly teary and his sensors showed her heart beat increased and more of her brain's pleasure zones were active.  A slow smile crept over the small robot's face as he managed to work out who the good doctor actually had feelings for.

[I think I can help them; hell, if Dark Prime can do it so can I] Rumble thought and crept off to begin plotting his own match maker game

"So, Major Katsuragi, can Magnus go with you and be the liaison officer between us and Nerv?" Optimus asked

"I don't see why not" Misato said and gave a curt nod to Ultra Magnus

"I'm sure the Sub Commander and I will get along" Magnus said in a respectful tone

********************

Shinji was in an atrium housed within Trypticon with his friends, they were all giving him updates about how they were and what happened while he was 'away'.  So far all Shinji had managed to gather was that in the battle after he passed out, Dark Prime fused with Evangelion 1 which then undertook a transformation to Dark Eva.  Shinji was also surprised to know that he had also been fused with Dark Eva, for a month.

[That would explain my vision] Shinji thought

"Yeah so, what was it like in there man?" Kensuke asked

"I can't remember" Shinji answered

[Shinji's not himself/I wonder if Hikari likes to be/I miss Starscream] Shinji heard a heap of voices in his head

Before Shinji could even say anything to describe his shock at what just happened; Soundwave came and asked Shinji to follow him.  Shrugging, Shinji got up and followed Soundwave to a room inside Scorpinok.  Once there, Soundwave explained why he wanted to speak to Shinji

"It has come to my attention that you are a telepath" Soundwave said

"A telepath?" Shinji was at first surprised but then remembered hearing those voices before

"Yes.  I am also a telepath and I can teach you how to control that, and the other mental powers that Dark Prime seems to have given you" Soundwave then began to explain how to block thoughts from invading a person's head

Shinji was told to visualise a brick wall around his mind, this would keep out every single kind of thought impulse that wasn't his own unless he permitted it.  Over the course of several hours they tested Shinji's ability by going to places with few people, the working their way upwards in population density till Shinji could hear anything.  They got to a mess hall and Shinji passed out from a migraine due to the crushing force of all the thought-waves around him.  Soundwave blocked as many as he could and took Shinji back to his quarters.

"You did well Shinji; telepathy is rare in humans" Soundwave said as he left, Shinji was now sharing his room with Rei so the Dinobots were watching him as well as Rei

"Shinji, are you okay?" a voice from the bed asked

"Rei, I'm, okay.  Thanks" Shinji smiled at his lover, but he still couldn't shake that horrible vision of her he had

"You look tired; you should get into bed and rest" Rei shifted from the middle of the double bed to one side

"Thanks" Shinji changed into his boxers and lay down, he felt terribly tired

A slender arm snaked its way across Shinji's chest and hugged him.  He rolled over and kissed Rei tenderly on the eyebrow.  Then as he lay down, Shinji was struck with inspiration and sat up cross legged.  Rei did the in concern for her loved one's sudden move.  Shinji turned and faced Rei with a soft smile

"Rei, do you remember when we were in each other's Eva and we saw the other's memories?" he asked

"Yes I do, why?" Rei asked in turn

Shinji said nothing and gently placed her hand on the left side of his head and put one of his on her right temple and Rei felt a flash: and she was again sharing Shinji's memories, all of them.  Shinji could feel hers too, all of them, even the one's Dark Prime had blanked out and in that brief second, Shinji and Rei became to the most unified beings on the face of the earth.

********************

Misato and Kaji were walking to their room when the passed Shinji and Rei's room.  She had by now accepted that there was nothing she was able to do that would stop them being together; she only hoped they were happy.  Before she left again, Misato saw a slight glow coming from the room.  Curious she opened the door and the sight before here was so moving that there are no words in any language she could think of to describe it.

"Oh my God" she uttered

Shinji's forehead was glowing, more accurately a symbol on it that looked like a third eye.  And Rei was glowing all around: her body was now the purest white Misato had ever seen and just flowed with life and beauty.  An aura of white surrounded them and they paid their visitors no heed, if they were even aware of their existence at all at this moment.  Misato closed the door with silence and grace.

"What was that?" Kaji asked

"Two people, connecting on a level so deep it would be impossible to describe with words alone" Misato said and kept walking; that image would stay with her the rest of her life.

**********************

A golden dawn broke on the first day of the new Alliance between the Transformers and Nerv.  Misato was dressed in her Nerv uniform with one small difference: on her left shoulder she now carried the symbol of the ADA: The Matrix with a Cybertronian character that stood for unity as the background.  This showed her allegiance to them as well as Nerv.  With a nervous sigh, she sat in Tracks and waited for Ultra Magnus to arrive.  The large general showed up in good time and transformed to roll out, with Ritsuko and Rumble in his cap

"Are we ready Magnus?" Misato asked

"When you are" he replied

"Okay Tracks, lets go" Misato said

"Activate transport gate" Tracks radioed Blaster

The large gate formed in front of them and the drove through, coming out on a highway a few miles out of town.  The drive was mainly silent for Misato was in contemplation: she hadn't been in the city since the attack on the school and she wasn't sure how Nerv personnel were going to react to seeing the Transformers again.  Tracks gave her a small jolt when they got near Nerv.  Straightening her jacket and taking a deep breath, she exited Tracks and saluted Fuyutski who was waiting for them at the main gate

"Sir, Major Misato Katsuragi reporting sir" she said, feeling a bit sheepish

"Major, where's the liaison officer from ADA?" he asked

"Right here" Ultra Magnus said and transformed, once his passengers got out

"Amazing" Fuyutski muttered

"Liaison officer, Ultra Magnus, rank: General" Magnus knelt down and offered his hand to Fuyutski

"Welcome to Nerv, Ultra Magnus" Fuyutski shook the giant hand as best he could

Fuyutski lead them to Nerv central command deck and introduced them to the crew.  Most of them couldn't stop staring at Magnus and Tracks; they were just so amazing to behold.  While Fuyutski was giving his explanation as to what was going on here, Ritsuko kept steeling glances at the older man; he may be old but he was so distinguished and handsome, in a Sean Connery kind of way.  Rumble of course saw all this and only made him smirk.

[Oh this will be such fun] he thought as he plotted

Before Fuyutski finished, the alarms sounded and Magnus and Fuyutski looked at each other.  They both knew it was trial by fire now so all the 'get to know you' needed to be put aside; this was probably a better way to assess one another anyway in their concurrent opinions.  Fuyutski concentrated in providing back up and extra weapons for the fight while Magnus dealt with the Eva deployment.

"This Angel is currently in orbit above Japan; so bring some extra curricular hardware guys" Magnus paused and changed links

"Cloud Raker, Astrotrain: get off your asses and check that Angel out, get as close as you dare and send me every kind of data you can" he barked and watched on the screen as the Evas deployed themselves and set up a cannon of epic proportions

"Well, looks like we'll cut our teeth together" Fuyutski said

"That we will" Magnus said and smiled

*************************

Shinji was sitting in the gentry, unsure about what was going on with his Eva now: it had no visible point of entry or other external device.  In a perverse way it was perfect; a seamless device with no visible joins or bends as if it were carved from a single piece of stone.  Shinji reached out to touch it.  Upon contact with its surface, a small platform emerged from the side of the foot

[Get on] Shinji heard a voice in his head

With little else to do, Shinji complied and stood on the platform and to his surprise it started to move upwards until it reached the back of the neck.  A swirling portal opened in the neck, revealing what Shinji thought was the plug, but it looked so different.  All he could see was a place to sit and nothing more.

[Get in] the same voice prompted him to enter the Eva

Shinji gulped and slid into the pilot seat.  As he sat down the vortex door shut behind him and Shinji felt a presence with him inside the plug.  A white shape appeared in front of Shinji and eventually took the form of Dark Prime.

"Dark Prime, good to see you again" Shinji said

"Time to get to work Shinji; as you can see I've taken the liberty of redesigning the piloting mechanism so you are in total immersion" Dark Prime explained

"What?" Shinji was confused

"You no longer connect via a nerve connection, but by telepathic link: what the Eva's eyes see, you will see etc" Dark Prime elaborated

"How do I link to the Eva?" Shinji asked

Shinji suddenly felt a jolt through his mind and his eyes closed.  When he opened them again, instead of a wall he could see the hanger bay, the various restraints that held him in place and everything else.  Shinji looked around, it was then that he realised that a camera wasn't panning to give him this view; the Eva's neck was moving.

[Incredible isn't it] Dark Prime said

"Yeah" Shinji spoke

Shinji realised too late that when he spoke, _he spoke_; the Eva's mouth and tongue worked and a loud booming voice echoed in the gantry.  Several Transformers jumped at the loud noise.  Once Shinji got his head around that surprise he spoke again.  He asked to be launched and placed in combat.  Before he could be launched though; a scream pierced through the base: it was Asuka's.

"What the hell was that?" Shinji asked

"The Angel has initiated a psychic attack on Asuka.  We're trying to save her but the carrier wave is an unknown type and we're having trouble breaking it" Perceptor said

[Get me up there, we have the Spear of Longinus.  It can defeat the Angel] Dark Prime whispered

"Launch me; I have a weapon that can help" Shinji cried

"Launch him" Optimus Prime ordered

********************

Asuka felt as if her mind was being torn to pieces by this beam, whatever it was.  In her mind's eye Asuka saw her mother's suicide, her step-mother and father trying but failing to reach her.  And she saw the way she used to treat Shinji, Rei and a most other people she knew.  The Angel however somehow brought good memories to her, some new and other buried beneath old fears.

"Starscream, mother" she sobbed as her head was racked with pain again

"AAAAGGHHHHH" she was screaming

Shinji finally got to the battle ground and gave the Lance of Longinus to Rei, she was better at throwing than he was.  Shinji (under Dark Prime's direction) tried to use his telepathic abilities to create a wall so as to allow Asuka a chance to escape.  Rei was lining up her throw when she saw a pulse come down the light and fling Shinji away from Asuka's defence; this early on with his powers he was unable to block it.  Rei was about to move and help when Shinji shouted

"Forget me, help Asuka" he cried

Containing her shock at seeing and hearing an Eva speak to her directly, Rei again lined up her shot while the gestalts tried to shoot it down: when ever one of them got in the path of the beam their circuits went absolutely haywire and they stopped working for a few minutes as demonstrated by Menasaw lying prone on the ground.  Just as Rei let the spear go with all her strength, she saw another pulse approach Asuka at high speed.

"NO!" a voice and a sonic boom ripped through the sky

Starscream had knocked out several of the Transformers that tried to restrain him from going out there and had poured the speed on to get there: as he approached the beam, he transformed and used his momentum to get in the beam's line of fire.  Asuka saw Starscream floating there and his words from when the first met came back to her '_My function: to protect Evangelion pilot Asuka Langley Soryu: with my life if necessary'_.  The pulse hit Starscream like no other beam weapon had in his millions of years of life.

"AAAGGGGHHH" Starscream bellowed as the energy practically roasted him inside out

"Starscream!  NOOO!" Asuka screamed

In space, the Angel saw all too late that the Spear of Longinus was coming.  It tried to evade but the mysterious weapon hit it dead on.  The AT Field stopped it, for all of 3 seconds and like a drill, it bit in and twisted through and killed the Angel by pulling it with it but sending the Angel into another dimension; never to attack the earth again.  Ultra Magnus lowered his head and communicated with the HQ on the moon; their orders were to retrieve the Lance.

"Recovery teams to the battlefield; First Aid and Ratchet, your priority is Starscream; he's sustained heavy injury" Magnus called the others to Starscream's plight

"I know a thousand soldiers without the bravery and loyalty to do that" Fuyutski said as he saw Starscream's body on the viewer

***************************

Asuka was practically hysterical when they got her back to the Stronghold: she was demanded into to see Starscream.  Skywarp and Thundercracker were also demanded to see him; in fact Starscream's younger brothers had taken it upon themselves to replace Starscream as Asuka's guardian till he was functional again.  Ratchet was trying to placate them with word of his condition but the brothers and Asuka were intent on seeing him.  Eventually Ratchet relented and let them in.

"Be warned, it isn't pretty" he said sternly and opened the door.

"Oh god, no" Asuka's voice caught in her throat

Starscream's usually red body was charred black, to say nothing of his internals.  His head had a large split in the middle and his left arm and leg were almost mangled beyond recognition or repair.  The various machines around him were the only things keeping Starscream alive.

"I'm sorry guys" Asuka sobbed

"Its okay, come on, let's go and let First Aid and the others do their jobs" Skywarp said

"Yeah, let's go" Thundercracker concurred and led Skywarp and Asuka out

****Later that night******

"Ratchet, what are his chances of survival?" Optimus asked

"Not good; if he weren't such a stubborn bastard to begin with he'd of carked out on the battlefield"

"What about the other project you and Wheeljack were working on: Metamorphosis?" Optimus asked

"Well, that would kill him, however if we had a human body, or even a synthetic body; we'd be in business" Ratchet said

"Then make one" the pair turned to see Megatron in the doorway

"Survival is survival, whether Starscream survives in a human body or a Transformer one is irrelevant" Megatron continued as he looked at his broken his Aerial Commander

"Wheeljack, get Ratchet down here.  Prepare for mind transfusion" Optimus said

"One more thing: make his body the same age as his ward" Megatron said, a sly grin on his face as he left

"Starscream, if you can hear me; you sacrifice was not in vain.  Asuka is safe and your brothers are looking after her.  You did well and performed your duty with honour" Optimus then stood back and saluted Starscream, as did Megatron from the doorway

[One more, and then we must prepare for a full attack against Unicron] Optimus thought as he also left the medical bay


	12. Death And Rebirth

********************

Asuka refused to ear for three days; she sat in her room, that was never unguarded, and wept all the time.  The best friend she'd had in all her life had been taken from her, and what made it worse, what really twisted the knife in her gut was that Starscream was in his condition because she failed to keep her mental defences up and fell to weakness and pain.  For this he had thrown himself in the path of a death meant for her.

"Why Starscream and not me?  I've done people wrong and been nothing other than cruel to anyone who tries to help me or love me" Asuka was so convinced of her own self-worthlessness

She remembered the first time Starscream took her Air-Boarding.  It had been the thrill of her life; sure she got a thrill from Eva piloting but that was an adrenal thrill, one borne of the will to survive.  When she went Air-Boarding, it was like her soul was free and she felt as if she could fly beside Starscream on the wind; he'd set her free of fear and doubt with the promise that he would always be there, and would die to protect her.

"Ironic, a robot, something I think Rei was like, showed more feeling and was so much more full of life than I was" Asuka would never forget the spirit that she saw every time she looked into Starscream's optics

Outside her room, Thundercracker sat on guard duty; in his hand was a diary that belonged to Starscream.  He wasn't reading it out of spite of mischief but he was curious if it held the answer to the riddle of Starscream's behaviour of late.  He'd notice Starscream was more vigorous in his combat training as if he was trying to work off excess energy and he wanted to know why.

"There has to be a reason for- oh Primus" Thundercracker said

The entry he'd come across answered all his questions in full: Starscream had fallen in love, not that that one its own was a bad thing.  What shocked Thundercracker was _who_ the object of his older brother's intentions is: Asuka.  He closed the journal down and sat to ponder the ramifications of this revelation.

[How is it possible for a Transformer to love a human?] the whole thing just when around in his head like a spinning wheel and still it evaded him

However when he thought about it; Thundercracker wasn't all that shocked in the end; love was love, no matter who it was between and why; it simple existence was good enough for Thundercracker and should his brother find a way (distant hope that there was) to pursue these feelings then he was cool with it, Skywarp wouldn't care either was cos he was mind warped at any rate.

"I hope you pull your sorry ass out of this one soon Screamer, this chick is going to die without you" Thundercracker said

******************

Shinji was in the arcade in Tokyo 3: Toji and Kensuke were at a movie theatre and Hikari was taking Rei clothes shopping so they could have, 'girl time and girl talk'.  In reality Shinji knew these were merely distractions so as to take their minds off Asuka's condition, they'd tried to help but it was evident that the only one who could help her was herself.

[I'm being watched] Shinji was now highly adept at blocking people's thoughts from his head, but it still left him with a highly tuned sense of his surroundings

Some of the people there were his classmates and they watched him with a sense of wonder: they were convinced what had saved them from the attack by that small army had something to do with Shinji and they were both terrified and intrigued by it.  The looks of wonder turned to bemusement when a western looking teen went and said hello and began chatting with Shinji

"Having a good time Shinji?" Rumble asked

"Yeah, thanks Rumble, I appreciate this" Shinji said and returned to his game

"No worries, you guys needed out of there before you got shack whacky" Rumble said and looked over his shoulder

"You know Shinji there are dozens of people looking at you; I hope to god its hero worship" Rumble said off hand

"Why?" Shinji asked

"Cos if it isn't those are the horniest teenagers I've ever seen" Rumble chuckled

"Ha, ha very funny" Shinji shot as he lost his credit

"Shit, come on, let's go and find Misato and Kaji" Shinji grumbled

"Well if I remember correctly the love motels are that way" Rumble was giggling inanely now

"You're off the deep end you know" Shinji sighed

"And proud of it" the small Transformer declared

A yellow Volkswagen pulled up and opened its passenger door; the windows were tinted so one could not see inside the car and identify its driver, or lack thereof.  Bumblebee took them to the mall in the city where he'd dropped Hikari and Rei a few hours earlier.  Toji and Kensuke, their movie finished, were waiting for them.  As Shinji and Rumble got out, Rumble muttered a message to Bumblebee

"Better tell Ironhide to pick us up, knowing women like I do; they shop big and you're to small for their swag" he said

"Done and done" Bumblebee said as he drove off

"Toji, Kensuke; how was the movie?" Rumble asked

"Meh, not the best film I've ever seen in my life" Kensuke said

"Then you sir do not know a good action film" Eject, also disguised as a human, said

"What did you see?" Shinji asked

"Spartacus, my friend, a great sword and sandal epic of the days of true acting" Rewind said

"Speaking of sandals" Toji said and pointed to the two fast approaching girls; and their fully laden pack horse; Frenzy

"Those sandals flatter you Hikari" Frenzy said

"But _flattery_ is going to get you nowhere, now keep up" Hikari said

"Toji, you're her boyfriend, you ought to be doing this" Frenzy grouched

"Yeah, but I can't lift 8000 pounds on a pinkie finger, you can" he shot back as he hugged Hikari

"No I can't" Frenzy protested

"You can't?" Toji replied

"Yeah, he uses his index finger" Rumble quipped

"Fuck you" Frenzy snarled

"I told you he was into weird shit" Rumble continued to practice his rapier wit

"Okay that is it, I swear to god, Rumble, when I die your ass is haunted" Frenzy hissed

"You're going to sodomize me when you're a ghost; man, I never thought you'd go as far as necrophilia, or is it different cos you're dead and sexually molesting me?" Rumble scratched his chin in mock thought

By now Frenzy realised he was defeated and just cursed in Cybertronian to himself and swore to kill his brother at the earliest possible moment.  Currently ever other member of their group was doubled over in laughter at Rumble's witticisms, aside from Rei who was content to smile and giggle.  To the casual observer they were just a bunch of kids having a good time.  Shinji on the other hand was staring, goo-goo eyed at Rei.

[My god, she's beautiful] he thought, incapable of speaking

Rei was dressed in a blue single piece dress that went to just above her knees; and she was wearing a pair of black stockings and black heels, she looked so damn good people were staring.  So Shinji did the one thing he could; he walked up to her, bowed his head and then kissed her.  Rumble grinned and looked at his internal clock

"What are you smiling about?" Eject asked

"In about 5 minutes, two people shall be getting notes to meet the other at that restaurant" he grinned

"What are you playing at?" Rewind was getting an odd feeling in his fuel tanks

****************************

Ritsuko sagged into her quarters and slumped on the bed feeling miserable at Asuka's condition.  As she let her head fall backwards it came to rest on an envelope.  Wracked with curiosity and a girlish giddiness, she opened it and in the most well written hiragana she'd ever seen, a simple invitation was given

'Dear Ritsuko

I humbly request that join me for dinner at this restaurant; one of the Transformers has agreed to drive you.  Dress casual but comfortable.

Yours truly,

Kouzou Fuyutski'

Ritsuko read the letter again; and again and then a third time to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.  She had just got a formal invitation to dinner with Fuyutski, she couldn't believe it.  With a flush on her cheeks and a school girl like nervousness, Ritsuko went to choose a dress from her (now relocated) wardrobe.  After much searching she decided on a burgundy 3-quarter skirt, stockings and black knee length boots.  A simple white blouse and a black turtleneck sweater made up her upper attire.  Some rouge and a bit of mascara plus earrings and she was ready.

[Oh well, here goes nothing] she said and opened her door; a tall red Transformer stood outside her room

"Hello Ms. Akagi, I'm Sideswipe and I'll be your transportation for the evening" the robot spoke in a polished tone

"Thank you, well, I suppose we better get going" she said nervously

Sideswipe smiled and transformed into his Lamborghini form and opened a door.  With a purr of his engine and a squeal of tires, Sideswipe was away; he only hoped that his associate on the other side was on time.

***************

Fuyutski had received an invite similar to Ritsuko's and was dressed in pair of good pants, and a red business shirt.  He was riding inside Dead End, a most interesting character to talk too but Fuyutski felt slightly depressed at the atmosphere inside the car.  He was glad when he was dropped off at the address; Fuyutski waved goodbye to the polite Stunticon and when he turned around, his breath was whisked from his chest.

"By all that is good in the world" he said

The moon had risen and Ritsuko was standing in such a way that she was bathed in its light, making her red lips stand out on her attractive face.  To Fuyutski Ritsuko was the very picture of tragic beauty at this moment in time.  She was smiling at him, a Mona Lisa smile, not happy not sad.

"Maybe there is something good in this world after all" he mumbled and with regal dignity, walked over to Ritsuko

"You look beautiful" he said upon arrival

"And you look very handsome" she replied

"Thank you.  By the way, my mind is boggled, how did you organize this with all that was going on?" Fuyutski asked with a chuckle

[But I thought…] Ritsuko looked over the road and saw Rumble, only just sticking out form his hiding place

[That little….] she stopped and gave a laugh

"We've been set up haven't we" Fuyutski said

"Yes we have, well, we're here now.  Hungry?" Ritsuko asked

"Famished actually, shall we?" he offered her is arm in a gentlemanly gesture

They strode to the concierge's desk and asked if there was a reservation under either of their names.  Their was one under Kouzou's name; while Ritsuko was getting a menu, Fuyutski suddenly realised he had very little in his account

"Crap, some first date this will be with no money" he muttered

"But sir, a large sum of credit was wired to this account to be used by you a few hours ago, roughly 3, 000 US Dollars" the concierge said

"Oh, great, thanks.  Ah, a wine list if you please good sir" Fuyutski was going to find the person who pulled this and thank them, then kill them

Rumble looked up and zoomed in on the pair; this was working a little better than he thought it would, he assumed the whole thing may have been stiff at first but they were relaxed in each other's company.  Rumble figured he'd seen enough for now and went to return home.  He took one last look at Ritsuko and Fuyutski; the rest was in their hands, he'd done all he could.

"May Primus bless you both" he said and activated a Transport Gate, stepping through it

*****************

The restaurant Rumble picked was a mixture of new and old, while it had a pretty normal seating style, there was a dance floor to which couples danced the swing bands of old.  Fuyutski and Ritsuko were having a very nice meal; steamed vegetables and Peking duck.  They were laughing and having a good time as people do.  As they finished eating, a rather upbeat song 'Ballroom Blitz' began playing courtesy of the live band.  With a smile on his face, Fuyutski stood up and offered his hand.

"Would you like to dance?" Fuyutski asked

"Sure" Ritsuko took the proffered hand

Fuyutski took her onto the dance floor in true style and lead her in an old fashioned bit of fast paced dancing.  As they swung in unison; Ritsuko felt elated.  Not since her first boyfriend in high school had she felt so good and truly loved; it was like a warmness that started in her stomach and radiated outwards in all directions.  They danced for what seemed like hours but it was only the length of the song.  When it was finished they sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.

"I haven't had this much fun in years" Fuyutski said and drowned a whisky shot

"Me neither" Ritsuko ordered a cocktail

"Ritsuko, tell me; even though this was a set up; would you have come even if I hadn't have been one?" Fuyutski asked

"Yes, I would have" Ritsuko replied and sipped her drink

Fuyutski smiled and placed a hand on Ritsuko's.  Then he noticed a tear sliding down her cheek and as a reflex action, Fuyutski cupped her face and brushed the tear away with his thumb.  Ritsuko fell into Fuyutski's embrace and sobbed in silence.

"You shouldn't be crying, you of all people you deserve to be happy" he said, although his words were slightly jumbled and nervous Ritsuko felt the sentiment.

"Thank you" Ritsuko sniffed

Ritsuko looked up into the kindest eyes she'd ever known in her stay at Nerv; for a brief moment she believed because of her involvement with Gendo Ikari she was undeserving of anything like this.  These thoughts were quickly quashed; had she never been allowed to stay with the Transformers and become their friend then she'd have believed these self-defeating thoughts.  But all her contact with the amazing robots from space had helped her to rebuild her self-esteem and self-respect.  Fuyutski decided then to take a risk and leaned in and softly kissed the scientist.

[He, he's kissing me] Ritsuko was overjoyed and wrapped her arms around the older man's neck

However, as the citizens of Tokyo 3 learnt from the beginning, fate is cruel and relentless in her pursuit of karma and the alarms sounded once more.  An Angel had appeared Tokyo 3 and at this moment, they were unsure how to proceed: night attacks were uncommon among the Angels.  Fuyutski and Ritsuko left the restaurant and saw a helicopter land on the road: it was Vortex and Misato.

"Ritsuko, jump in, Sub Commander, Ultra Magnus will be here shortly to collect you" indeed as Misato finished talking, said Transformer arrived and opened his door

"Jump in Kouzou, we need to be going" Magnus said

"Right" before left however, Fuyutski gave Ritsuko another kiss, deliberately in front of everyone for a single reason; he wasn't afraid

"I'll see you in a few hours, I love you" he said as he jumped into Magnus's cap and was driven off.

"Me too" Ritsuko whispered as she climbed aboard Highbrow and was whisked into the air

"Well, you do have diverse tastes in men" Misato prodded

"He's a good man, that's all that matters" Ritsuko snapped

"I didn't say diverse taste was a bad thing, and in a way you two look good together" Misato was glad for her friend; and for the sub commander too: she also considered him a good and honourable man

*********************

The Angel was a helix ring, but it had no eyes or other appendages outside of its shape and the computers in Nerv ran blank on the substance analysis.  The ADA computers had a bit more luck and found that this Angel was composed entirely of matter, held in place with a thin field of antimatter around it that was constantly adjusting itself to stop the Angel from blowing up.  Aside from that; no other data.

"Okay, listen up everyone; given the current change of tactics in the Angels from physical assaults to mental and psychic, I'd advise against getting too close" Optimus Prime said over the comm nets

"Okay; any idea how we can kill it?" Shinji asked

"No, I'd say do disrupt its matter/antimatter balance but I'm not sure how big an explosion that would create" Soundwave put in his advice

"Okay bit-" Shinji was cut off by Rei

"It senses me" she whispered

With the speed of a whip, the Angel changed shape and as quick as greased lightning, went for Rei, and despite Shinji's vision and her forewarning she was still unprepared for its attack and it buried one end of itself inside Rei's abdomen.  Instantly pain was felt all over Rei's body as the Angel attempted to merge with her.  Shinji drew his sword and made a strike.  It was deflected by the AT Field.

"Shit!" Shinji exclaimed

"Try this sucker" Superion threw Shinji a Pulse Gun

Shinji stuck the barrel of the gun point blank to the field and fired: this succeeded in only knocking him over and dazing him.  While this was going on outside the Eva, inside it, or rather in Rei's mind; she was being interrogated by this Angel.  It had taken the form of the one person who held a true hatred of Rei: Naoko Akagi.

"So, the commander's doll, we meet again" Naoko spat

"What do you want?" Rei hissed vehemently

"Funny, last time we met you weren't even capable of a childlike groan, now you have a grasp on what appears to be a full range of feelings, both spiritual" she paused and sniffed the air

"And physical ones as well, we have been a busy little girl haven't we?" the figure taunted

"I'll ask you again, what do you want?" Rei repeated her request

"To break you, why else would I, the one who hates you, be here" Naoko replied

"Then good luck, bitch" Rei bit out with one of the few swear words she'd learnt: the Dinobots were like a group of sailors with their language and Rei had learnt one or two of the more colourful words and phrases of her language

"You've even leant to swear: I am impressed" the scientist replied

Rei said no more as the woman continued to size her up, ask her personal questions and prod her with accusations and disgusting ideas.  Rei grit her teeth and ignored the pain in her body from the Angel's invasion.  Soon it became too much and she fell to her knees.  Naoko laughed manically and was convinced she had won

"See, they do not love you, no one does.  Otherwise they'd have saved you by now" she mocked the girl

"I do, have friends, and right now, they are saving me as best they know how" Rei smiled and made Naoko look outside

Jurrasitor and Shinji were bashing at the field and trying break it but its strength was beyond that even of Dark Eva's AT Field alone and with Asuka still in her depressed state she was no good as a pilot and this couldn't help them.  Rei lowered her AT Field as best she could to lessen the strength needed to get through and help her.  She was sure she'd be okay when she came to and heard the Eva initiate its self destruct sequence at a 20 second countdown.

"WHAT, WHO DID THAT?" Fuyutski bellowed across the command deck; then on every monitor the face of Gendo Ikari appeared

"I did; I always anticipate interference in my affairs.  I set the Eva to self destruct 20 minutes into combat with the 16th Angel.  No one will get in my way, not you, not the Transformers not Seele and not even God himself" the recording stopped

The every single console in Nerv went into lock down and no one could do anything about Eva 0.  Ultra Magnus got on to the Stronghold and asked them to open a secure link to Eva 0 and get Code-Line to break the security seal on the Eva's destruct sequence.

******************

Shinji did the only think he could; he opened a telepathic link to Rei and tried to speak to her, although it was tough getting through to her he did and managed to speak to her; see her even.

"Rei' what's going?" he asked, terrified

"Shinji, I'm not sure but I think I'm going to die" Rei answered, a little shaky

"No, you won't die, Dark Prime and I won't let you die, and neither will the Dinobots.  I swear it" Shinji was getting hysterical

"Shinji, in the short weeks we've been together, I've felt things I never thought I'd feel in a lifetime; if I die now it will be happy" Rei tried to reassure him

"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DIE?" Shinji screamed, tears in his eyes

"I don't know, but please remember that I love you, and keep me in here" Rei placed her hand his heart: Shinji grasped it and squeezed

"I love you" he sobbed and hugged her

"I know" Rei spoke her final ways before she seemed to turn to sand in Shinji's arms.

Rei felt only the comforting contact between her and her lover before there was a flash and then nothingness and in her final seconds she saw a vision: she and Shinji were in a field with children, their children.  Shinji sent her this memory he of his time in Dark Eva to her as a final reminder of what they will have together, in this life or the next.  Outside the entry plug however there was a massive explosion and Shinji's pained screams

*********************

"Dear god in heaven" Aoba muttered and crossed himself

"SIR, the Angel is still alive!" Maya screamed

"What, impossible" Magnus was stunned

"Not for long it isn't" a deathly calm voice went across the airwaves

Shinji was feeling a rage he'd never felt before, it was powerful, dark and frightening.  He knew then what he had to do and he embraced the idea.  With eyes like blue flame he held one hand out and spoke to the Angel.

"I know you can hear me, beast from space.  You took from me that which I love, for this you will pay dearly" Shinji then concentrated as hard

He entered the Angel's head and began to engage in a similar assault as the one perpetrated on Asuka but with a cruel difference: whatever he subjected this creature to it would appear on the body, this way the pain would not only be mental but physical.  Shinji did not realise it but so great was his power that every human on earth was seeing him: he projected his thoughts given manifestation into the minds of others.  They saw a hand reaching out and squeezing a mind, the Angel's mind

"AAGGHHHG" the Angel squealed in agony, a sickening sound like that of a stuck pig

"FEEL THAT; IT IS BUT A TASTE OF WHAT IS TO COME!" Shinji screamed: his eyes now did glow like the fire they had in them

What happened next is recounted as the most horrible sight since the Second Impact: the Angel seemed to curl up as if it were being crushed by a hand, it bled and split open and was compacted until there was little more than a lump the size of a pebble floating in the air.  A second explosion ripped the air, but it was smaller than the last one.

********************

In the general area of the Stronghold, the command level Transformers and Nerv staff met, including Fuyutski who was seeing the place for the first time.  He only wished it was under better and happier circumstances.  Shinji was nowhere to be seen at the moment but they figured after his little outburst it was better that he was on his own to calm down.  Asuka had been coaxed out of her room to the gathering.  The other guests of honour were Toji, Kensuke and Hikari's fathers

"Everyone, first I must ask a moment of silence for our comrade, Rei Ayanami" Optimus Prime said; everyone bowed their head and even Maximus was silent for a whole minute.

"Now, I do have something that resembles good news; Hot Rod" Optimus handed over

"Toji, I believe you know this young girl" Hot Rod said and stepped aside; Mari Suzaharra came running out towards her father and brother

"Mari?" Toji was stunned beyond words as his sister leapt into her father's arms and pulled them both into a hug

"Yep, it's me" she said

While everyone gushed over Mari, another figure silently walked out from behind Skywarp and over towards Asuka who was still away from the rest of the group.  Asuka didn't hear anything till the young man put a hand on her shoulder and said something.

"I told you I'd never leave didn't I?" a familiar sounding voice said

"What?" Asuka gasped and spun around

Before her was a youth her age with dark tan skin, a red vest over a silver shirt and a pair of silver pants and blue sneakers; but his most striking feature were his eyes, a soft red colour that held a spirit Asuka had seen before, and it hit her like a freight train; by now everyone was looking and most had figured it out

"Starscream?" Asuka asked


	13. Power Rising

*****************

Shinji was inside a car, one of the Transformers whose name he had forgotten in his period of rage.  This rage though was that kind that smouldered and bubbled and when the time was right it erupted in a great geyser of emotion and possible violence.  Shinji arrived at the Nerv gates and demanded to be let in; the guards, not wanting to mess with the Transformers or for some reason the boy himself, let him in.

"Thank you" Shinji said flatly

He made his way to the medical wing: he knew his way to that place off by heart since he'd been in it enough times.  He stopped at the nurse's desk and asked where his father was: she told him what room Gendo was staying in and Shinji thanked her in a monotone voice and continued on his way.  As his rage grew, more symbols began appearing on his body, most of them were covered by his plug suit but the ones around his head and neck were clearly visible.

"So here you are" Shinji said as he entered the room; it was dark but Gendo was awake, Shinji knew he was

"Who's there?" Gendo asked

"You don't recognise me, strangely fitting really, you never wanted to know me anyway so it stands to reason over time you'd forget me" Shinji's glowing third eye symbol appeared and it was the only thing Gendo could see

"I don't know what you're talking about" Gendo was pressing the nurse call button

Shinji squinted at it and made is spark and smoke.  Gendo was now very afraid of this person who he didn't seem to recognise.  Shinji got right into Gendo's face and this time he spoke in a calmer, although more dangerous voice and slower too, so as to allow Gendo time to absorb every word.

"You set a trap, this trap killed an innocent 14 year old girl, someone I loved: her name was Rei Ayanami, and you, murdered her" Shinji spat

Shinji scanned Gendo's surface thoughts and one thing kept coming up at regular intervals: Dummy Plug.  With his mind working sharper than ever, Shinji delved deeper into his father's thoughts and he found the one major function of the Dummy Plug; its ability to revive Rei in the course of an fatal accident.  Spurred to a thinking halt he withdrew and pondered the ideas forming in his head.  Without warning Ritsuko, Misato and Rumble and Frenzy burst through the door as Shinji went back to work

"Shinji, stop this now" Misato pleaded, knowing if Shinji was capable of killing an Angel with his thoughts, killing Gendo would be like swatting a fly

"I must find out more about this Dummy System" he said

"Shinji, I know how the Dummy System works; we can revive Rei no problem just leave your father alone" Ritsuko may hate the man but what Shinji was liable to do to him was subhuman

"It won't work without my password" Gendo muttered, finally he recognised his son

"You won't even have her back" Gendo tried to nail the lid shut on Shinji

"The you will tell us this password or else" Shinji threatened

"What, what can you do to me?" Gendo mocked

"I will enter your head and take the password from you by force and leave you a vegetable capable of nothing other than drooling on a bib" Shinji gave his father a quick mental jolt to make sure the man knew he wasn't kidding

"You don't have the stoma-AAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH" Gendo's pain filled wail filled the room as Shinji basically ripped through his synapses to find the information

"Tell me the password, now, all of it" Shinji hissed and increased his mental assault

[Shinji, stop] a gentle voice filled his ears

"What, who said that?" Shinji asked

Then the last part of his powers came into play: Second Sight is the ability to see things that others can't; this can include lost or wondering souls.  And since Rei Ayanami was drawn to this place when she was dead, she was able to appear in front of Shinji.  Shinji could see her; she seemed as real as the bed beside him.

"Rei?" Shinji asked, although it appeared he was talking to nothing

[No, I am her soul made manifest in this place; please stop this] she asked

"Why, he planned your murder and is responsible for the murder of god knows how many others" Shinji's concentration however was divided so Gendo was granted some small reprieve

[Indeed he did, but you are better than he is Shinji, please, do not reduce yourself to being like him to get revenge for the death of a loved one: that is what he chose to do] Rei paused and looked at the pitiful figure of Gendo, although he could not see her

[Look where it has brought him, to ruin and nothingness.  You stand at the same crossroads as he did, don't walk the same path as him.  Release him] Rei pleaded her case

Rei would probably never know how much of an effect she had on Shinji: right now he stood on the very brink of either falling into darkness like his father before him or going a different path.  Rei's soul moved behind him and she gently took hold of the hand he was using to demonstrate what he was doing to his father and she gently pried it open

[Come on, come back now; he's not worth it, he's not worth anything] Rei said and finally Shinji let go, and his father fell back to normal and would suffer nothing more than a headache and some nightmares

Shinji looked at his father and for reasons unknown to all but two people, Shinji broke down and cried because he also realised that he nearly became what he beheld and abused the powers Dark Prime gave him so that he could help himself and his friends in the time ahead.  Rumble and Frenzy came and got Shinji and took him back to the Stronghold: he needed to recover.

"You know, for a brief second there, I almost feel sorry from him after what Shinji just did" Misato said

"But?" Ritsuko asked

"I remembered that Shinji was right, Gendo didn't just get Rei killed through callous actions; he set a trap to murder her in front of us all, he planned it.  That's when my pity disappears" Misato said

"Come on; let's see about reviving Rei, if I'm right then without her Shinji is a powder keg about to go boom" Ritsuko sighed and led Misato to the depths of Nerv

They walked through corridor after corridor and down a long lift shaft: finally they entered the area known as Terminal Dogma, Ritsuko turned to Misato before opening the area.  She warned her of terrible things lying behind this door, things that would possibly haunt her for the rest of her life

"We've seen too much already, any more is just redundant" Misato said and prompted her to open the door

Little did either of them know that Death Strike and Raid had followed them: Rei was their ward and when they found out she could be revived; they stuck to Ritsuko and Misato like white on rice.  So far they'd seen nothing of note.  But as they continued to follow the pair through the organisation's depths, their optics began to see things that he thought only existed in the darkest of minds or the deepest dungeons of tyrants.  When they arrived at the room of Gauf, they were horrified

"By Primus what devil made these?" Raid asked

"Ritsuko, what is this place?" Misato asked

"The most shameful of Nerv's secrets Misato, the most shameful of its secrets" was her only reply

Death Strike fired up his biological scanners and made a DNA scan of every clone in the tanks surrounding the room: over 100 of them were in there; to his relief, every one of them checked out to Dark Prime's specifications: 50% Angel and 50% synthetic mass.  Still, this place wasn't just shameful it was unholy.  Growling, he and Raid deactivated their camouflage and became visible

"What kind of people are you; that you would simply try and create life as if you were God?" Death Strike asked

"Foolish ones, Death Strike we are foolish ones" Misato muttered

"How long until Rei is revived?" Raid asked

"A few seconds: here we go" Ritsuko entered the password Gendo thought only he knew and the computer came up with a prompt

'Do you wish to dump all memory for current unit?  Y/N

N'

Ritsuko tried to keep as much of Rei's memory intact as she could; but she lost a bit of it, most of it was before they went to Yoko Beach so it wasn't a great loss; the memories from the last 2 days however were a total black to the girl.  Ritsuko made sure the new Rei was ready and let her out of the tank, quickly covering her with her ankle length lab coat.

"Dr. Akagi, where is Shinji, I have to stop him from doing something foolish" evidently Rei had something to do with Shinji's surrender at Gendo's bedside

"Shinji's gone now, he's back at the Stronghold by now, no doubt Raid and Death Strike will take you there" she said, soothing the girl's fears

"Raid: you will escort Rei and our other two friends back to the Stronghold: I have arranged for Ultra Magnus to meet you top side to get you out of the city" Death Strike said

"And what are you doing?" Raid asked

Death Strike declined to reply and drew his weapon and primed it.  Raid knew exactly what was going to happen and made sure Rei and the others were well out of that room before Death Strike started his little temper.  Now alone in the eerie orange glow of the Gauf chamber, Death Strike fired his weapon first at the Dummy Plug device, one hit from his plasma rifle enough to nearly melt it. Then he turned his attention to the clones: he placed his weapon away and got a small Energon grenade out.

"Primus take these poor husks with you into the next life and give their souls should they have any everlasting peace" he uttered a small prayer and punched a hole in the top part of the tank, pulled the pin and shoved the grenade in and high tailed it out of the Room of Gauf

********************

Asuka was in her quarters, with Starscream.  For the past hour she had done everything from scream at him to hug him.  Starscream knew that Asuka was in turmoil so he took what came in his stride, although without the aid of his Cybertanium body taking any physical blow was a bit more painful than he would like.  Fortunately the synthetic that Wheeljack had made his body from was a material like Cybertanium only somewhat more flexible and soft.  They were sitting on Asuka's bed at the moment

"So, how did they do this?" Asuka finally asked

"They build a totally machine like skeleton; my spark is placed inside it and then I am given synthetic organs, blood and skin" he explained the basics

"How to you feel things like hot and cold?" Asuka's curiosity was deepening

"Nanobots in my skeletal structure create all the nerve endings to my CPU and AI so I can feel pain, pleasure, hot cold that sort of thing" he revealed some of the more advanced technology in his body

Asuka reached out and felt Starscream's cheek; it was warm and smooth, like any other human she'd met.  Again Asuka's eyes went moist with tears and she embraced Starscream with a grip that would not lessen till the sun itself would grow cold.  Asuka let the defences fall; she didn't care anymore because she had him back.

"I missed you" she sobbed

"I missed you too" Starscream replied, and then with as much courage as he dared, kissed the top of Asuka's head

[Did, Starscream just kiss me?] Asuka wondered and looked up at him; her big blue doe eyes melted him on the spot

"Sorry, I just-" Starscream was suddenly pinned to the bed by Asuka and could no longer speak due to the soft pair of lips over his own

Asuka soon fell asleep in Starscream's arms; she was tired and worn out and hadn't had a good night's sleep in 3 days.  Starscream was still awake; he smiled at Asuka's sleeping form and stroked her hair softly.  Sighing he pulled a light sheet over them both and went into hibernation mode: Wheeljack hadn't him any old body: advanced sensors, strength akin to his old form and unnatural speed and reflexes.  Anything came through that door uninvited was going to leave feet first.

******************

Shinji woke up in his quarters a few hours later feeling the sickest he'd ever felt in his short life.  His head throbbed and his stomach was empty so he felt like throwing up.  Groaning like an old car he tried to get up but a soft hand forced him back down, in his condition though it wasn't very difficult.

"You should rest; your body has been under great strain, to say nothing of you mind" a soft and familiar voice whispered

"Rei, is that you?" Shinji asked, trying to touch her to prove he wasn't dreaming

"Yes it's me, now please rest now: you will need your strength" Rei smiled but spoke firmly

"Okay" Shinji relented and lay back down

Rei got up and left the room; outside were Misato and Ritsuko.  Rei asked what was going to happen to Shinji in light of his actions a few hours ago.  Misato said that there wasn't much they could do about since Shinji was thinking so far removed from normal that they'd sooner just forget about it and just hope Shinji didn't fall into a depressive state.

"Death Strike; I want you to take me to Nerv" Rei said to the smaller Dinobot

"Okay" Death Strike transformed into his Velociraptor form; Rei climbed on top of him and settled on his back

"Why are you going to Nerv?" Ritsuko asked

"Some unfinished business" Rei answered as Death Strike bolted down the hallway

"What do you think she's going to do?" Misato asked

"I'm not sure; but there really isn't much we can do about it" Ritsuko checked her watch

"Got a hot date?" Misato asked

"You could say that; I'm meeting Kouzou for dinner in an hour; you?" Ritsuko returned

"I don't know; Kaji said something about making me dinner at his place, I'm a bit worried though" Misato said

"His cooking can't be any worse than yours" Ritsuko took her parting shot as she trundled to her room for a quick shower and to get changed

"Hardly" Misato said sarcastically and gave Ritsuko a raspberry

******************

Rei enjoyed riding on Death Strike's back; it was fun and made her feel alive.  The people of Tokyo 3 long used to peculiar sights and events still looked twice if they saw them, but figured that it was best not to ask or intervene.  Rei dismounted from her 'steed' and demanded to be let in.  At first the guards refused but Death Strike merely snarled at him: it was incentive enough for them to open the doors.

"Thank you; come on Death Strike" Rei instructed

"As you wish" Death Strike took on a rather nightly pose and followed Rei as if she were a queen and he her bodyguard: which wasn't far from the truth

[What is she planning?] Death Strike wondered as they transverse the corridors to the hospital wing.

"Commander Gendo Ikari's room" Rei demanded

The nurse would have argued, but the 7 foot, gun carrying metal company with the girl wasn't worth the probable pain he'd receive from a refusal.  So trusting on God or the Great Pumpkin King he directed Rei to Gendo's room.  With a curt nod from here and slightly mad grin from the robot, the pair departed in the right direction.  Rei entered the room and saw Gendo was in better shape than she thought he would be.

"Rei, how did you, never mind.  Are you okay?" he asked

"Yes" Rei decided to play along a little

"Good; don't worry, I still have influence in Nerv and shall be back in control soon" he reassured her

"Good" she nearly choked on the words

"Your purpose will soon be fulfilled; then you shall know peace" Gendo was either leading her on, or had grown severely stupid

"I already know peace: it exists in your son's arms" Rei decided to drop the act of compliance

"What?" Gendo wasn't sure he heard right

"You've failed: you're scenario is defeated, Commander Ikari" Rei said and got up to leave

Gendo grabbed Rei's arm, the surprise was such that she uttered a screech and although she hadn't meant to, caused Death Strike to burst in, weapon drawn and primed for firing.  Gendo froze as he realised what was point at him.  A small blue dot appeared on his head.

"That little light is where this large bolt of plasma will end up if you don't let her go" Death Strike said grimly

Gendo let Rei go very slowly and carefully.  But he still yelled at her that she was his creation, his puppet: his doll.  That last word hit Rei like a slap in the face, so in a rage totally uncharacteristic of the girl, she decided to reciprocate the gesture and slapped Gendo Ikari hard across the face.

"I am NOT a doll, least of all, YOUR doll" she hissed and walked out: Gendo reached for something

"Do it mother fucker, give me the excuse I need to waste your ass" Death Strike said

"I thought you didn't kill humans" Gendo taunted

"You'd be surprised what you're able to live through" the robot said

Death Strike made a quick adjustment to the rifle's settings and moved the targeting sight down to just below Gendo's left bicep and squeezed the trigger.  The adjustment was a narrowing of the rifle's output beam so instead of a massive bolt that could of blown up half the room, it was a fine beam that cut through Gendo's arm like a knife does butter; Death Strike walked up to Gendo and handed over the severed appendage to the man, who was going into shock.

"You may need a hand with this problem" he quipped and left the man to his pain; Rei asked him a question as he passed her

"What is wrong with commander Ikari now?" she asked

"Sore arm" Death Strike replied with a smirk

**********************

Optimus Prime sat in his office: he had spent the last few hours coming do a difficult decision but it had to be made: with a grim sigh he called a meeting of all top level personnel.  He walked slowly to the council chambers deep inside Fortress Maximus and by the time he arrived from the central spire; all the people he asked for were here: including Kensuke, Hikari and Toji.  Optimus sat and began to speak

"The Angels are nearly defeated, of this we are sure.  However, another great evil shall soon be upon us" he began

"What are you talking about?" Fuyutski asked

"The Angels have been more powerful than they should have been the past 4 attacks: the reason behind this was known to 5 people, possibly 6.  Unicron is coming" Optimus dropped the bombshell

"Who is Unicron?" Misato enquired

"Unicron is a planet sized Transformer who was created at the beginning of their history; his power is nearly infinite and his size unimaginable.  He is able to devour whole planets as his energy source" Shinji told them this, confirming Optimus's theory on Dark Prime telling him about it

"What, how can such a beast exist?" Hikari cried

"We don't know: all we know is that he will be coming here; we are prepared as best we can for him: he fears one thing; and one thing alone" Megatron added

"What is that thing?" Asuka demanded

"Show them" Magnus said

Optimus Prime opened his chest compartment: in the centre they saw another panel that clearly covered something important within the leader's body.  The panel flipped up and bathed the room in light, a soft blue light.  Optimus removed the item: it was a crystal looking solid within a gold circular case with long handles on either side; clearly it was meant to be opened.

"This is the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, a mantle of power, responsibility and wisdom among my kind: it is a source of pure good energy, in contra to the pure evil that is Unicron" Optimus explained and replaced the Matrix

"Is that the only thing able to defeat him?" Shinji asked

"A long time ago I would have said yes, but now a different method is required: there is an ancient prophecy on our world that said if we did not protect the humans from the Angels, both they and us would die out" Optimus began recounting the legend

"To defeat him this time, we need 4 things: the body, the soul, the power, the blade.  We have the power, as of yet I am unable to identify the other three, but rest assured I will" Optimus was lying though

He allowed this information to sink in before telling everyone to take their leave and do what they thought needed to be done; for war would soon be upon them and it would be a fight to the death, whether they wanted it or not.  Before he left, Optimus stopped Shinji and asked to speak with him in private.

"I was lying before: I do think I have identified the other pieces of this puzzle, one of them at least" Optimus said

"Oh, why didn't you mention it?" he asked

"Because I wasn't sure of it till I saw how you defeated that Angel: the soul part of this prophecy is standing in front of me" Optimus explained

"ME!" Shinji cried in disbelief; then he remembered a conversation he had with Dark Prime, while inside Dark Eva

**********Flashback*************

_"Unicron, what in gods name is that?" Shinji asked_

_"A planet that transforms into a robot.__  His power is nearly infinite and he fears one thing" Dark Prime told Shinji of Unicron_

_"What does he fear?" Shinji imagined a giant robot of great power_

_"Technically speaking, he fears you" Dark Prime wished he had a camera to record the look on Shinji's face at that moment_

********End Flashback************

"Wait, I get it now" Shinji said

"Get what?" Optimus was confused

"The power is the Matrix, as you said I am the soul and the body is Dark Eva, but what's the blade?" Shinji explained

"I think I know that part" Optimus grinned and whispered something to Shinji

Within minutes Shinji was inside Dark Eva and Prime was in the control bay: in one hand Shinji held Dark Prime's sword and in the other he held the Lance of Longinus, since returned by the forces in space.  Shinji looked at them both for a minute and then on Optimus's advice, pressed the bottom of the spear into the tip of the sword

[Here goes nothing] Shinji though as the two weapons made contact

At first there was no reaction but a blinding flash of light and a small explosion of energy proved them right.  The Lance shrunk into the sword blade which now was more of a European design than its previous Samurai shape.  A two handed weapon it was, almost as tall as Dark Eva.  Although the blade did still curve and was solid in the cutting side; the back of it resembled the two pronged Lance with which it bonded: ¾ of the way up the blade split into two halves, one was the sword blade the other a Lance tip.  Shinji held the weapon aloft and it gleamed like a light in darkness

"Shinji, I do believe we have identified the Blade" Optimus said

"Optimus Prime, we've detected 9 large transport planes heading towards Tokyo 3" Blaster said over the radio

"What are they carrying" Optimus asked

"The Mass Production Evangelions" he replied


	14. The Final Countdown

Optimus Prime had made the announcement: Seele were making their big move.  It was time for them to show themselves to the world.  They could no longer hide in the shadows.  Tokyo 3 was in terrible danger if those Evas got there.  So Optimus Prime gave the order, in agreement with Magnus, Megatron and Cyclonus: the Stronghold was so separate and transport to the area surrounding Tokyo 3; then they were to create a perimeter to stop any land based troops and to provide support to the combatants.

"Okay; lets go" Optimus said and activated the mass transit gate.

The very sky itself opened up in a cascade of lightning and wind.  The very, slowly but surely, 4 great Transformers emerged from the ocean and flew into the swirling vortex of energy.  Fortress Maximus, Scorponok, Trypticon and Metroplex all had grim looks on their faces as they approached the exit point.  The exit gate was far less dramatic than the entry gate.  It simply opened up and they dropped out.  Then they set about setting up the perimeter.  They would sit at the 4 main points of the city and then the rest of the perimeter would be made up of laser walls.

"Time to contact?" Ultra Magnus asked; he was at Nerv

"10 minutes" Optimus replied

"Game time then" Fuyutski said

"Yep" Misato muttered

"Deploy forces" Megatron ordered

*************

Down in the main bay, some new hardware was being handed out.  The various scientists and technicians of the two forces had been working on some new weapons for the Evas; swords, lances, rifles and other exciting things.  At the moment, each Pilot was standing in their suits as various Transformers went to and fro: Eva 2 was no where to be seen.

"Okay; we have every kind of weapon imaginable here.  Research done during combat shows only high power energy and sharp edged weapons work against Evas; so to that end we have an extensive armoury for both" Warpath said

"Where is my Eva?" Asuka asked

"Ah yes, Eva 2; well, we ah, sent her through some heavy mods" Warpath grinned and signalled for them to bring Eva 2 in

Eva 2 looked like it was ready to kick some ass: heavy duty armour had been used to replace the original armour: knuckle busters sat on the hands now: fighting claws were hidden in between the fingers; they could be extended and retracted at will.  Two large pulse guns, one on each hip adorned the Eva also.  The other new feature was a helmet over the Eva's original head.  It looked like an old European knight's helmet.  Asuka seemed to approve of the changes.

"That and we had a go at the innards: the whole thing runs off an Energon battery now: which means you can go on full power mode, for 2 months no stop, more if you shut the Eva down during non usage periods, and now it uses a total immersion piloting system like Dark Eva" Perceptor explained

"Cool" Asuka said, raring to have a go.

"What about me; how am I going to fight" Rei was not one to leave her comrades to do all the work

"Ah yes, well, a little bird told me that Eva unit 3 had been completed in the US a month ago, so, we decided to ah hem, borrow it" Skywarp snickered

"Borrow?" Rei asked

"They stole it" Pipes said

Then they wheeled in Eva unit 3; like its brothers, the only difference was the head design: two eyes and a single mouth with something on the bottom jaw.  The same general modifications had been made to Unit 3 as had been made to Unit 2.  Thundercracker looked at the jaws of each Eva and quirked his eyebrows

"What the fuck are those things on the bottom jaw for anyway?" he asked

This comment caused great guffaws of laughter to occur.  The mood in the base had been sombre at best but that arbitrary comment; made on some bizarre and pointless observation about something that did seem to serve no real purpose gave everyone something to laugh about.

"Thundercracker, get your brother, we got something for him too" Hook said

[Oh boy] Skywarp had a feeling where this was going

*************************

Starscream was in the training room practicing with a sword: he may be human now but he would not neglect his training in the warrior arts.  More imperative now was his skills, because he had lost his intimidation factor of sheer size and his weapons, he had to be sure of his skills.  Once he'd finished the session he put the sword away and went to have a shower.  Upon his exit into the hallway he saw Thundercracker waiting for him.

"Tense, big brother?" Thundercracker asked

"Yeah a little" Starscream said and slung his swords over his shoulder

"It pisses you off doesn't it?" Thundercracker jibed

"What, being a human; nah, aside from waking up with a, um, what the hell did Asuka call it?" Starscream forgot

"I think they call that the, ah, you know that part has me fucked as well.  Anyway, I didn't mean that but the fact that Asuka is out fighting and you can't help" Thundercracker said

"Yeah, that does kind of bother me.  But what in the hell am I going to do about it?" Starscream said and leaned against the wall

"Well you can start by coming with me.  I think The Constructicons have a surprise for you" Thundercracker chuckled

[What the hell?] Starscream thought but shrugged and followed his brother.

******************

In the streets of Tokyo 3, most of the Transformers were standing guard over the more vulnerable buildings and the doors to Nerv and all shelters were manned by a Transformer.  Anything not waving a big white flag was gonna have a bad day.  Outside the defence barrier; the Evas, and 6 of the combiner teams: Jurrasitor, Predaking, Superion, Bruticus, Computron, Abominus were with them; this was going to be an even fight.  Each of them held a sword or other bladed weapon provided by the combined technical experts in both the ADA and Nerv, aside from Shinji who had what was now known as the Longinus Sword.  He tightened his grip in anticipation.

"Bogies sighted, 8 clicks and closing" Bruticus said

"Okay, its time to party" Predaking said and lit up his new beam sabre

"They've dropped!" Asuka shouted and charged

"I like her" Abominus said and ran with her

"Oh what the hell" Shinji said and joined the fray

Each of them singled out a target and engaged.  The fighting was fierce and fast.  Swords and Lances clanged and blows were blocked and landed.  Predaking was in his element, brutal combat was where he was best put to work.  He slammed his sabre into his enemy's lance many time while kicking and blasting them with all his power.  Then with one great downward slash, cut through the other Lance and through most of his target.  Quick as lightning he withdrew the blade and sliced the Eva in 2 at the waist, which made it split into 3.

"BATTLE!" he roared

Elsewhere; combat was just as fast.  Rei was armed with a long lance with a bladed edge.  Growing irritated with her target's ability to block, she went and made a massively complex looking flourish with the bladed end.  When she was finished, she kicked the Eva in its core: it then promptly fell into tiny pieces.  Defensor's Eva had kicked his head and sent him dizzy; the evil Eva used this distraction to attack Rei from the back.  She turned her head and saw the Eva but froze.

"OH NO YOU DON"T" Shinji yelled

He seemingly pointlessly thrust his sword at the Eva; then as if by magic, the blade extended to cover the extra distance and stabbed it in the core.  Rei also threw her lance behind Shinji, for the Eva he was engaging was trying the same on him: she nailed it in the throat.  With a quick nod each party retrieved their weapon and went to help their comrades.

"Come and get some" Asuka shouted and she used her two short swords to block and stab her opponent

She blocked and saw a great opening and took it, she stuck one sword in the core; twisted and shoved again; sending her hand right through it in a great red mess.  Smiling to herself she retrieved the sword and set to double team with Superion; who was displaying his martial arts skills.

The battle raged on until there was a single Eva left: with no concept of fear, it tried to attack the whole assembled battle group.  They all stuck a weapon into this one, severing its torso and legs from the core.  Rei recommended they go and cut the cores out of each of the Seele Evas.  Predaking gladly volunteered for that gruesome duty and ripped each core off the body with his bare hands.

*********************

Seele was quaking: the Eva assault was supposed to be their victory and yet it was a total defeat.  Keel knew that his master would not tolerate this and that his displeasure would be great and his retribution unimaginable.  Indeed as he thought the giant yellow and silver head of Unicron appeared in the centre of the room and his eyes burnt in fury.

"This is unacceptable Keel; you assured me your Evangelions could defeat Nerv and Transformers" Unicron boomed

"They had an even number and some upgraded parts on their Evas, and a mysterious weapon I've never seen before.  I-" Keel was cut off

"No excuses.  The punishment for failure to me is death.  You are no exception" Unicron's head disappeared.  The members of Seele all began panicking and screaming, running to leave their safe house, such that it was.

Somewhere in the Arctic Ocean, a large underwater base exploded.  The debris spread for miles around, some even making it to the surface and getting stuck in the ice.  A deep sea exploration station picked up the explosion on a seismology device and sent a team to investigate.  Several hours later they returned; their only clues: 12 bodies.  All of them of different nationalities and ages, one even seemed to have cybernetic enhanced eyes.

******************

Gendo Ikari sensed that he needed to move soon; then he could put his plan into action.  Getting up and carefully and quietly he slipped out of his room and passed the nurse, who was too wrapped up in a romance novel to notice anything anyway.  His card had not been cancelled by Fuyutski; a mistake Gendo would not have made himself.  With a smile he took the lift down and made his way to Terminal Dogma.

"They are all too worried about Seele to concern themselves with me" Gendo smirked and went down the lift

Gendo was however wrong: he was being followed and he didn't notice them; had he been less arrogant he would have: Kensuke, Frenzy and a phase cloaked Megatron had tailed him since Frenzy saw him leave his hospital bed.  Neither had any idea as to what Gendo was up to, but they reasonably sure he wasn't ordering pizza.

"Come on; lets see what he's up to" Frenzy said

"Yeah" Kensuke said and went over to the lift doors

"Okay; I'll handle this part" Frenzy grinned and got two hooks to replace his hands and opened the shaft doors T-1000 style.

"Okay Kensuke, jump on my back and I'll fly us down" Frenzy said

"Megatron, we need you to come to the command deck inside Fortress Maximus immediately" Optimus Prime's voice sounded from Megatron's comm unit

"Okay.  You two be careful" he warned and flew to meet Optimus Prime

"Will do, come on lets go" Frenzy said and jumped into the shaft.

Gendo was of course aware of none of this and continued down in totally ignorant bliss.  At the bottom of the shaft Gendo got out and walked into a large locked room.  Wracked with curiosity, Frenzy and Kensuke landed and went up to the door and Frenzy looked through it with his heat vision.  He saw Gendo, a few PC's that seemed far too hot

[Must be AMD] he thought

"Oh shit" Frenzy gasped and grabbed Kensuke and hid in the shadows.

Then saw the larger heat source, largest in the room in fact it almost took the whole room up.  The large heat source in that room was a nuclear weapon.  Almost 200 Megatons if his estimate was anything resembling accurate.  He explained his discovery to Kensuke and the two sat and considered their options.

"Well, Boomer could come and have a go at disarming it" Frenzy said

"His name doesn't fill me with confidence, wait a second, did you say _disarm_ as in to reverse the arming of a bomb?" Kensuke asked

"Uh huh, I heard him say it was armed" Frenzy mentioned

"Shit, get your bomb squad down here quick" Kensuke said

"Shhh" Frenzy clamped Kensuke's mouth shut

Gendo walked out of the room and locked the door with some kind of code.  He either did not notice Frenzy and Kensuke or he saw them and chose to ignore them.  Gendo had something in his one hand now.  Frenzy scanned and saw that it was a remote detonator for something: he presumed it was for Mr. Manhattan Project in the room behind them.  Once they were both sure Gendo was gone, they scrambled to the door and proceeded to try and open it

"Give me that Data Pad that Scrapper made for me" Kensuke said

"Here" Frenzy handed him the device

"Fucking right, here we go" Kensuke then proceeded to hack the door

It opened after a few seconds: by Cybertronian standards the lock was primitive.  Once inside, they shut the door and looked at the device in awe: it stood as tall as the room they were in (nearly 25 feet high) and was as thick as a quarter of the room.  6 large server computers were connected to it.  Kensuke looked at Frenzy who pulled a Data Pad of his own out: they had to stop this because the instant Gendo got wind that his scheme was up; he'd blow them all to hell so this had to be done on the QT.  With a smirk Kensuke turned to the Servers

"Let's hack these shits" he said

"Amen brother" Frenzy replied: with that the pair got to work

**********************

Optimus Prime was with Megatron on the command deck; they were waiting for Unicron: they'd detected an explosion in the Arctic and knew somehow it had something to do with Unicron.  And so they waited, Optimus Prime called ADA HQ on the moon and told them to be ready for Unicron's arrival and for them to receive Dark Eva and Shinji.  Megatron sent a covert message to Cyclonus to head into Trans-Space and give the standby signal to a little surprise for their big planet munching friend.  Then it came, a signal like no other; it simply appeared as a large darkness on a radar screen.

"He's here.  Summon Shinji and Dark Eva; have them sent to Moonbase HQ, tell the Phoenix and the Harbinger to standby" Optimus said and left the commanded deck

"Okay; Shinji, Dark Eva: to the Gate room at once" Megatron barked over his comm unit

[Primus help; and forgive us: we place the responsibility of the safety of Earth and Cybertron in the hands of only 2 beings, one of them a child" Megatron muttered and sort of crossed himself

Dark Eva and Shinji were waiting in the Gate room when Optimus Prime arrived.  He told them he honestly didn't know was going to happen but that they would not fight alone.  As many Transformers as could be spared would be in space, fighting and shooting Unicron to so whatever damage they could.  They would slow his advance in anyway they could

"But still it's up to us to actually kill him?" Dark Eva asked

"I'm afraid so.  Here, I hand over the Matrix of Leadership: this and yourselves will be enough to defeat Unicron, I hope" Optimus said Dark Eva placed the Matrix in his chest

Rei watched from the bay observation room as Shinji and Dark Eva stepped through the vortex to go to the moon.  Rei did not cry at Shinji's departure because she knew in her heart, her soul that he would come back to her.  So she only smiled softly and waved to him, with her other hand on her heart.

[I love you] Rei thought, she knew Shinji could 'hear' her

[I love you too] Shinji responded and placed the sensation of a kiss in her mind

"What did you just do?" Misato asked, clearly something had happened but she had no idea what

"Shinji gave me a goodbye kiss" she said and went to sit down, she was tired from the battle.

********************

On the moon, Shinji and Dark Eva were led to a docking bay where they were greeted with an awesome sight: outside were two large ships.  One was clearly designed for war: it had a double X configuration at the rear.  One X area held and engine at each point, the second looked as it held lances, but they were in fact beam lasers that were so finely focused they could cut like knives through a ship's hull.  In addition to those 4 there were to above and below the long neck area of the ship.  Directly below the bridge were two large pulse cannons, another two were mounted under the forward down facing wings.

"Wow, what is that?" Shinji asked

"That is the Decepticon Dreadnought ship; Harbinger.  She's your cover fire while the other ship takes you to Unicron" Scourge explained and pointed to another ship.

This ship had the look of a stealthy predator, it was flat and almost totally flush from top to bottom.  A pair of reversed wings at the back led to a hexagonal and triangular shape that made the middle of the ship.  Two wings facing forward long ways with two longer shafts with parts that sloped up at the end.  No weapons were visible.

"That ship is the Phoenix; an Autobot stealth cruiser: she will be practically invisible to the naked eye and totally invisible to all forms of known radar.  In her you will be until you get inside Unicron" Scourge hurried them aboard

"Well, Dark Eva.  What now?" Shinji asked as they were sealed in

"We'll have to work that out when we get there; won't we" he said

"I'm scared; I've never undertaken anything like this in my life, even with my involvement with Nerv my responsibility was never this big" Shinji said

"You're still saving the world Shinji" Dark Eva replied

"Yeah; but that was an almost militaristic duty; this is fulfilling prophecy, legend.  Shit from thousands of years ago.  I mean what if that legend was only the work of a lunatic who could red and write?" Shinji asked

"Then we're screwed, Earth is screwed and Cybertron is screwed" Dark Eva replied plainly

"Gee thanks" Shinji muttered

"Well you did ask" Dark Eva spluttered

"Yeah, I did didn't I" Shinji said with a chuckle and lay down

Dark Eva sensed Shinji was still afraid on the inside, deeply afraid and that both concerned and relieved Dark Eva.  The fear showed that Shinji was truly a person of humanity and of good mind: only a fool would not fear this mission.  But he feared it may impede the mission so Dark Eva tapped into Shinji's head and asked Yui to comfort him.  Shinji opened his eyes and saw he was at a beach with his mother.

"Mother?" Shinji asked, his eyes teary

"Yes Shinji; its me" she replied and hugged her son

"I missed you" Shinji cried

"I know, I miss you too" Yui replied and stroked her son's hair

She drew back and took a good long look at Shinji: the last time he was with her like this was the 14th Angel, how he'd changed since then.  His body remained the same but his spirit had soared to new heights, and even sunk to terrifying lows in the short space since she had last seen him.  Also, on their last visit she could tell by a scent that Rei and Shinji had slept together in the fullest sense.  But now there was an even deeper connection: a small piece of Rei's soul was within him and her essence has mixed with his throughout his body.

"My god you've changed so much in so little time" she said and mussed his hair

"If not for Dark Prime and the others I don't think I'd be half the person I am now" Shinji admitted

"They may have taken you to the crossroads kid, but you chose where to walk" Yui said

"I know I did, but still: they helped me so much; but…" Shinji trailed off

"You're still scared of what you and Dark Eva are doing" Yui said

"Yeah I am" Shinji said and looked at the ocean, such that it was

"Then all I can do to help you is to tell you this: remember that Rei, myself, Misato, Kaji, Asuka; all your friends love you.  With that love you can create power in yourself that no one; not even you know exists" Yui said

"I think I heard that in a movie" Shinji said

"Stop poking holes in my argument" Yui huffed

Shinji then burst into a fit of giggles as he saw his mother; a woman he had long been told was a serene and graceful but also brilliant and sharp minded look like someone had just burst her bubble: it just looked so ridiculous in Shinji's perception of her that he laughed

[He has such nice laugh: I'm jealous of you, Rei] Yui felt so deprived: she didn't get to hear Shinji's laugh often: Rei was going to hear it for the rest of her life.

"Shinji, I hate to break this up, but, fate or the deranged ramblings of some nutter calls" Dark Prime said

"Okay, I'm coming" he said and hugged his mother again

"I'm going to miss you" Shinji whispered

"Not as much as I'll miss you, trust me on that" Yui said and kissed her son's forehead

"Goodbye Shinji, go save the world" Yui finished before Shinji woke up

Shinji was jolted awake and outside he saw it: a giant orange and silver planet that seemed to blot out the sun loomed ahead of them.  Shinji felt sick and afraid just looking at it and being near it: god knows how he was going to fare inside it.  Shinji then realised that the ship he was in was making no noise at all.  Dark Eva directed his attention to a monitor: the Harbinger was attacking Unicron, and making a good job of it too: its beam lasers cut through the hull of the planet like it was butter.

"He can't be feeling that" Shinji said

"He isn't" Dark Eva responded

Unicron began to shift and move his parts everywhere: Shinji realised Unicron was transforming.  His eyes were open like plates and riveted the scene before him.  Sides folded out to become legs and arms: the rings once surrounding his body became bone like wings.  The two great claws at the front of his planet form now adorned a giant head with red eyes and a deep booming voice, even in space Shinji was sure Unicron's voice could be heard.

The Phoenix then began charging energy in the gap at its front end.  It charged it till it was a large ball of energy and then it fired it at Unicron, around the area that a human has their kidneys.  It created a huge breach in the hull of Unicron.  The ship entered the body of the giant while the Harbinger made itself a real pest.  Dark Eva and Shinji disembarked from the ship and it took off into space again.  Shinji sighed

"Well, here we go" he said

*********************

Thanks to Gryphon for giving me a hand to sort out some order of events for this chapter, and I bet you're all wondering where Kaoru/Tabris is, aren't you?


	15. Transformations

In the Server room, Kensuke and Frenzy were typing away furiously as they rewrote line after line after line of computer code in trying to crack the security firewalls protecting the detonation program.  After a while Kensuke got to thinking about the situation from a different angle.

[They usually guard this part of the program like Buckingham Palace; but sometime they forget something that seems arbitrary] he thought and went through a mental checklist

[Detonator command, timer command, arming command, remote receiving command, radio frequency…] Kensuke stopped at that last one

[Of course, I can change the receiver frequency and if not that, I can reroute it to do something else] he was on a roll.

Typing furiously and fast; Kensuke uploaded something to the server hard drive and when he found out the radio bandwidth was locked to a single one, he instead rerouted the command so it would activate something else instead.  Frenzy saw what he was doing and smirked like a crazy man.  This was going to be hilarious.  Frenzy then had a thought of his own: he pulled a small camera from a compartment on his chest and hooked it up to his data pad and set a small program in place.

"Man, when he pushes that button, he's gonna get a whole new perspective on things that go bang" Frenzy giggled with Kensuke about their achievement and quickly went over everything to make sure they had everything done properly

"Well, all we can do now is hope that we live to see this go through" Kensuke muttered as he and Frenzy leaned back and relaxed for the first time in the last 4 hours.

Inside Unicron, Dark Eva was walking around: he and Shinji were genuinely lost as to what exactly they were meant to do.  They'd walked for hours and even had a hack at some of the internals of Unicron to see what would happen: nothing ever did really.  They had about given up finding their target when a large explosion rocked the area they were in.

"Welcome to my parlour, said the spider to the fly" a voice said: the voice was soft almost effeminate but male.

"Yeah, well this fly is packing spider boy, so what gives?" Dark Eva asked

The voice then allowed his form to be seen: he was a human being in outward appearance but they could tell he was nothing of the sort.  His grey hair stuck up wildly and his red eyes danced with malicious mischief.  Then they saw the wings: two silver wings.

"An Angel" Shinji said

"Indeed, I am Tabris, the last Angel and the last servant of Unicron" he introduced himself

Before a reply could be given, there was a great series of booms: footsteps.  A large looking creature came into view: it was about the size of an Eva and even looked like one, but was unlike any that they had ever seen.  Shinji then remembered that an Eva had gone missing on Earth after an experiment with a manmade S2 Engine.  They said it had dropped into a dimensional void much like the 12th Angel's body.

"That's Eva unit 4 isn't it?" Shinji asked

"Yes it is: when it fell into the void I captured it, and redesigned it to fit my purposes and obey my orders: it is an avatar if you will: it has a portion of my powers and strength" the terrifying voice of Unicron filled the room

"Then it looks like we have some clues as to what must be done, Shinji: you take the fairy and I'll take the big fella" Dark Prime said to him inside the plug

"How do I fight him?" Shinji asked

"Well you fucked his cousin up pretty good last time, try that again: but here is something to help" Dark Eva then made the plug put Shinji's Exo-Suit on

The metal plates and covers connected to his plug suit until he was covered all over bar the head.  Then the helmet came down: it was a simple helmet, like a samurai helmet.  The visor came down and Shinji could see far better than ever before.  Dark Prime then wished him luck and opened the hatch.  Shinji floated out.

[Thrusters] he thought

Shinji soon guided himself to the ground and looked up at Tabris: he seemed rather serene for someone who was out to kill him.  Tabris smiled and then just vanished and they reappeared right in front of Shinji.  Shinji was of course startled by this and jumped back.  Tabris then let loose a blast of energy from his eyes.  Shinji dodged it by mere inches.

Meanwhile Dark Eva and the Avatar were facing off.  Dark Eva had his sword at the ready and the Avatar had what looked like a giant mace; slowly they circled about each other.  Then with a sudden lunge they connected and the fight was on.  Dark Eva's tough hide made hits with the mace a little difficult for Avatar, but the sword kept missing him by inches.  Dark Eva growled in frustration and threw his sword at Avatar.  Avatar ducked and swung his mace down with might: Dark Eva caught Avatar's arms and pushed them up, just as his sword came spinning back.

"My boomerang comes back" Dark Eva said and kicked the armless Avatar off him.  He picked up his sword and the mace

He turned to go but Avatar got up and lumbered back at him.  Dark Eva dodged him as Avatar turned around; Dark Eva threw the mace at him.  Like a speeding bullet, the mace went through the air and into the middle of Avatar's body.  Again the beast fell to its knees struggling to live.  With an irritated sigh, Dark Eva slashed its head off.

"Why can't they just die, for once, when you hurt them enough" he grouched and went to see about Shinji

Shinji and Tabris were still fighting.  Shinji was using his suit as best he could but with no real experience in it, his ability to use its vast functions was limited.  And Tabris had erected a huge AT Field around them so Dark Prime could not interfere.  Alternatively Tabris could receive no aid from Unicron.  Tabris was firing bolt of energy at Shinji.

"Surrender human, you cannot win" Tabris said

[I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away] Shinji was chanting his mantra as he dodged blast after blast

"I'll die fighting first" Shinji fired a blast at Tabris; it missed

"Your weapons are small and your body weak: time to die.  Once you fall; so shall Earth" he proclaimed

Little did Tabris know that Shinji was like a dam with his emotions: he would keep the bad ones down as often as he could, which is what equated into his rare but powerful and frightening bursts of wrath.  And with his enhanced state, that made his bursts even worse than usual.  Shinji looked up at Tabris, his tattoos again showed up; the ones on his face alerting Tabris to the change

"What is this, humans don't do that" he said

"You.  Will.  Never.  Hurt.  Rei" Shinji's main concern was of course his lover; not Earth or most of the people on it

Shinji held his hand out and a sword of his own, formed with his tattoos that now snaked off his body appeared.  It was long and black, even the blade held an obsidian hue.  Possessed by forces beyond his own reckoning; Shinji lunged forward and stabbed Tabris through the chest.  It did nothing.

"Hmm, all that show for nothing" Tabris mocked

"Was it?" Shinji asked and yanked the sword out by slashing to the right

Tabris felt his S2 organ be cloven in two: at first he thought the wound would heal, but it did not and he slowly fell to the ground.  Shinji stood and panted: his sword gone and his tattoos again in remission.  The Angel laughed condescendingly at the fatigued human.

"You cannot stop him, nothing can" were Tabris's final words before he too, joined with his dead brethren.

Dark Eva was now able to get to Shinji; he picked the boy up and carefully laid him in the entry plug.  He looked in the direction that they had been heading when they were cut off beforehand.  With little else to go on, he followed that same path, hoping to Primus that another clue or two would land in his lap.

Earth was in a panic: all the space observation posts the various countries had saw Unicron and they were at a loss to work out who or what he was.  Optimus Prime saw all of this on the monitors in Fortress Maximus.  Megatron was with him and they came to a decision: it was time to introduce the world to them.  With a wry smile Megatron punched up the Holo-Comm

"People of Earth" Megatron called: his voice and picture coming through on everything capable of receiving it

"My name is Megatron" he paused as Optimus walked into shot

"And I am Optimus Prime.  We are Transformers; a race of robotic entities from a distant planet known as Cybertron" Optimus continued

"The giant creature in the sky is named Unicron, more powerful than any Angel: he is here to destroy your planet, but we aren't going to let him do that without a serious fight" Optimus then gave the nod to Blaster

"Okay guys, this is Blaster blasting at ya, the big man has okayed your big solo" Blaster sent the signal

In space, between Unicron and Earth a massive rip in space appeared and out of it flew thousands of ships of all shapes and sizes.  At the head were the two flagships of the respective Transformer factions: the Autobot flagship Alpha Trion and the Decepticon flagship Nemesis.  This fleet of tens of thousands set up a blockade and trained their weapons on Unicron: it wouldn't stop him but it would help distract him or slow his approach to Earth.

Earth generals and leaders watched in awe as the mighty ships set up their barricade to defend this planet.  Optimus Prime knew in his heart that this wouldn't work very well if at all: these ships were like flies to the giant Transformer: he sighed and spoke into a radio headset.

"All ships, attack" he gave the order, he'd signed many death warrants in that sentence.

"All we can do now is wait; and hope the right path is found by those who must walk it" Optimus said

"They will find their destiny Prime, it is written" Megatron reassured his friend

"What if what was written was not true?" Optimus asked

"Then we fight, we fight till our dying breath and then keep going" Megatron orated

"Well then, what are we doing here: lets join the fleet" Prime said and stood up, feeling the will to fight once again flow through his veins

Starscream was admiring his new body, such that it was: it was red like his last one but, this one seemed more like a warrior's body: he was even told a sword was built into the left wing.  It was faster, stronger and more handsome, for lack of a better verb, than his previous one.  Ion Cannons, slipstream thrusters and many other useful and powerful tools.

"I have to admit Wheeljack, you and all the others have excelled yourself here" Starscream said as he appraised the body

"All it needs is its owner" Hook put in

"Does that mean I have to give up this body?" Starscream didn't successfully mask the sadness in his voice

"Well actually the beauty of this thing is; no, you don't have to give it up: since a lot of space is taken up to house your spark we were able to construct a similar interface to this like Asuka and the others have to their Evas" the mechanic grinned

"Tell me how" Starscream said

Scavenger lead Starscream over to a small room: inside was a plugsuit, much like Shinji's only in Asuka's colours.  Once he had that on, and the nerve connectors, he was led to the pilot's seat of his new Transformer body.  Like the Evas it was at the base of the neck.  Starscream hopped in and activated the connection program.  He felt a jolt go through his body and his eyes closed.

"Oh man that caned" he groaned and opened his eyes

It was then Starscream realised he was eye to eye with Wheeljack, a bit taller than him even.  He looked at his hands: black metal again.  He took a few careful steps forward and smiled and drew his new sword and held it in a salute.  He turned to Wheeljack and the others and smiled

"Guys, thanks, this is the greatest" he said and was struck by inspiration

He put his sword back and bolted out of the room.  Wheeljack and the others, aside from Thundercracker, who knew exactly what his brother was going to do, looked on with a somewhat confused look on their faces.  Starscream was bolting down hallways and making sure a certain song was in his memory banks.

"Time to have a little fun" he thought as he came to Asuka's door and knocked on it

"Yes?" Asuka said looking up at this new Transformer

"Like my new bod?" Starscream asked

Asuak's heart nearly sank to her stomach: Starscream was a machine again, unable to be with her beyond that of friends yet again separated by origins.  She forced a smile and said she loved it, thought it was better than his old one.  Starscream saw her face fall and knew what she was thinking, so he played his trump card.

"Best thing about it though, is this" he paused as he kneeled down

"What?" Asuka was confused

Servos whirred, gears turned and the link pod came out of the spine on Starscream's new body.  Asuka stared with wide and almost blank eyes as the pod opened and the young man who was the Starscream she could love stepped out with an idiotic grin on his face.

"Totally detachable from the rest of me" he joked

"You, oooooh" Asuka scrambled up the body to pummel him

"Hey, slow down sweetheart.  Wanna go for a fly?" he asked

"At a time like this, are you mad?" Asuka demanded

"Acording to my friends and brothers, yes.  So, about that fly" he said

Asuka considered the offer and the situation as they stood.  The situation was only a few notches above hopeless and she was sitting here feeling helpless and alone.  And then Starscream offered to take her flying, for the sheer hell of it and on the off chance that they may never get a chance like this again.  With that in mind, Asuka nodded.

"Okay, come on" Starscream said and got back in, reactivating his robot body

"Such a fool, but such a kind one" Asuka muttered and climbed onto his hand

Starscream walked briskly through the base to the outer airstrip and transformed into his plane mode and revved up his engines.  With a sudden drop of his brake, Starscream flew off and started playing the song he liked to listen to as he flew, all he knew was the title of the song 'Mighty Wings'.  Asuka sat in the seat, marvelling at the feeling flying so fast gave her.

[This is better than Eva piloting] she thought as Starscream did a loop-de-loop followed by a diving barrel roll.

Off to one side, Starscream saw another plane: it was a lone JSSDF fighter that had gotten lost or was on an infiltration run.  With a smile gracing his unseen faces, Starscream went into whisper mode and turned on his stealth shield and flew in behind the other plane

"Let' see if we can have some fun with him" he said to Asuka

Before she could reply, Starscream inverted himself and lowered them down so there was less than a meter between the two aircraft.  Asuka looked down and saw the stunned face of the pilot, so she waved to him.  In return the pilot began blabbing away into his radio.  Starscream did the same.

"Command this Starscream, I have found a bogey in Tokyo 3 airspace, do I have permission to fire?" he asked

"Splash him don't kill him" was the reply

Starscream reverted and slipped behind the plane again and used an EMP weapon to fry the electrics of the fighter aircraft.  Its pilot was fortunate that his plane was not a new V/TOL otherwise he'd have dropped like a stone.  Starscream followed the plane till it splashed down in one of the lakes; the very one Snaptrap was in.  Knowing the Seacon would handle the prisoner, Starscream continued to perform some incredible stunts in the air.

"I think we've had enough fun for one day Asuka, lets get back home" Starscream said

"Yeah, lets" Asuka said, her voice soft

Rei was out in a garden with Sludge: never before in her life had she felt so hopeless and helpless.  The battle that would decide fate of two races was being waged in space by those who had sworn to defend them, at the cost of their own lives, a cost already paid for by Starscream.  Rei marvelled at the loyalty of the Transformers, never before had she known such devotion even though the Dinobots had never met her up until a few weeks ago.  She sighed and stood up.

"Sludge; may I ask you a question?" she asked

"Rei can ask me anything, can ask any Dinobot anything" Sludge replied

"Do you believe in the prophecy Optimus Prime told us about, do you believe Shinji and Dark Prime can defeat Unicron?" Rei asked

"Yes, I know they can" the slow witted Apatosaurus replied

"How can you know that?" Rei asked

"Because, Shinji would give his life for you, and Dark Prime will sacrifice himself for Shinji" he replied

"I don't understand" Rei said

"You will" Grimlock replied from behind her

Rei thought about it, she still did not understand what they meant.  A small, grim, smile grew on Rei's face: she knew what she could do to help Shinji and the others, even the odds in their favour a bit and knew it would probably kill her again, but if Dark Prime and Shinji failed: human and Transformer-kind would die anyway and she resolved not to die waiting for someone to fight when she could.  Rei turned on her heel and walked away from her friends.

"Rei all right?" Swoop asked

"Yes, Swoop, I am" she replied

Rei stopped, she couldn't just walk away from them without saying goodbye.  So she went up to each of the Dinobots and hugged their legs.  Hugging Death Strike and Raid was easier since they were smaller.  When she was finished, she stood back and looked at the bemused machines, her smile went from grim to happy.

"I love you guys, all of you" she said before bolting out of the garden

"What the…" Raid was confused

"Where so going?" Grimlock asked

"I follow" Sludge ran after Rei

The others just stood and looked at each other, each had their own thoughts as to where Rei was going, only Death Strike was correct.  He knew Dark Eva had destroyed almost all of Lilith, but there was still enough to bond with Rei and give her untold powers.  He let Sludge follow her though; she may need the moral support to go through with her plan.

Meanwhile up in space: the fleet of Warships, now headed by Optimus Prime and Megatron were still waiting for Unicron to come in range of their weapons.  Tension was high and faiths were being tested as the large planet ominously moved forward, towards them and Earth.  Optimus Prime wished he still had the Matrix with him, for comfort sake but he knew those who had it needed it more than he did.

"Time to intercept?" he asked the young helmsman

"Ten minutes sir" he replied

"Okay; Optimus to all ships, heat them up, time on target and fire as soon as he's in range" Optimus got on his comm-unit

"This is Megatron in the Decepticon battle groop; we are also going into battle stations

Alert lights and klaxons blared from the halls of all the ships as they went to battle stations.  Firing solutions for every weapon on the battleships were activated.  Pilots got into their fighters: Thunderbirds for the Autobots and Hellkites for the Decepticons, and all the seekers reported for battle.  Then, the targeting systems registered good tone.

"FIRE!" Optimus yelled

"Launch all fighters and seekers" Kup ordered

Waves of fighters emerged from the battle group towards Unicron.  Unicron responded by launching his own drone fighters, something that was a new tactic for him.  Then volley after volley of laser, plasma and missile fire thundered towards the planetoid.  It was merciless combat as Drones and Transformers met in combat.  Unicron's body was pocketed and cratered by the blasts from the larger ships.

"Fools.  Your weapons cannot harm me" Unicron said to himself

Unicron fired one of his own mounted weapons from within his mouth at one of the ships: it was totally destroyed.  Megatron ordered the battle fleet to break up and attack to avoid mass destruction from those blasts.  They broke and continued to fire.  Onboard the Alpha Trion and the Nemesis, Optimus and Megatron both held the same thought in mind

[Come on you two, you have to succeed]

Then to the horror of all those watching, Unicron's body began to move and twist.  Arms and legs appeared and a body took shape in space.  Its ribs were transparent and red, glowing with energy and death.  And a head, with large horns of a devil and blood red eyes appeared.  Unicron had transformed

Sludge followed Rei all the way to Terminal Dogma; he'd heard of this place, rumours and hearsay and outright lies all came from it.  He also heard from Death Strike and Raid that the place was one of untold horror at one point for Rei.  As far as he was concerned, the place was evil.  So when Rei entered, it took a lot of courage for Sludge to do the same.  He did it though.

"Rei, wait for Sludge" he called out, he wasn't really in need of her slowing down, but he wanted to talk with her

"Sludge; what are you doing here?" she asked, turning to face him

"Following orders, protecting Rei" he answered

"I know, but I need you to stay with the other Dinobots, what I'm about to do, I must do alone" she said and turned away

"Why you want be alone?" Sludge asked, louder than normal

"I must be for this" she insisted

"Me know you love Shinji, but me Sludge won't let you be alone while he gone" Sludge said, a message lay between the lines

"Thank you, but still, this is one thing I must do alone" Rei continued on, less sure than before

"NO!  You should never be alone, it hurt, here" Sludge pointed to his chest plate, roughly where a human's heart would be

"Yes Sludge, loneliness does hurt, but to be alone and to do something alone are quite different" Rei explained

"Me no care.  Until Shinji back, Rei never alone, Sludge always be with her" Sludge stomped his foot defiantly

Rei's eyes widened as she saw moisture trickle down Sludge's face: tears.  She watched the drop of water trail down and hit somewhere on Sludge's body.  Rei knew now she had a true friend, she may drift apart from Shinji but Sludge would never drift from her.  Again Rei hugged her friend's leg tightly.

"Come on then, this way" Rei said and continued to run to her destination: the jetty

"No need for boat" Sludge picked her up and flew her across to the small island that held the giant red crucifix

Rei saw what she was looking for in the LCL, a large part of the Angel that once hung to the cross by nails as Jesus had on the hill of Golgotha.  Stripping to her underwear, Rei swam out to the large piece and although nervous, she reached out and touched it.  Suddenly the whole room lit up with bright ashen light and sent alarms ringing everywhere.

"Wow" Sludge watched as Rei's body grew and transformed to one of solid light with great wings

"Sludge this is Ultra Magnus, Unicron has transformed!" this came from a radio in Sludge's head

"Its okay Ultra Magnus, Rei transformed too" he said


	16. The End of Things as We Know It

Still inside Unicron, Shinji felt a burst of power in his head and nearly passed out from the sheer volume of power he could feel.  Dark Eva asked what he felt.  Shinji wasn't sure what it was, only that it was good but not much more than that.  Shinji was suddenly struck with an idea.

"Dark Eva, in Transformers, what is the Spark?" he asked

"Its like our soul or heart, why?" Dark Eva said

"If we find Unicron's Spark then we can kill him if we destroy it, right?" Shinji continued

"Well it's possible but I'm not even sure this guy has a Spark, and if he did it could be anywhere and we need to get this done quickly"

Meanwhile, Dark Eva was thinking.  As far he knew there was supposed to be a reaction when all four parts in the prophecy were together but there had been know reaction when he, Shinji, the Loginus Blade and the Matrix had been in one place.  Which lead him to think there was a part of this was missing or had been misinterpreted?  He was about to give up this line of thinking when he remembered Shinji said he felt a power.

[I wonder if maybe that is the last part of what we need] he thought as they continued inwards.

-----------------------------------------------------

Back in Terminal Dogma, the room was starting to collapse under the sheer force of Rei's transformation.  So dangerous was the room that Sludge has to move out of it so he wasn't crushed by falling rubble that was flying everywhere.  Rei felt the power flowing through her veins as she grew in height.  She looked up, her cerise eyes glowing.  Then with one great push of her wings, Rei flew up to the roof, effortlessly going through it as if it was not there and kept going

"Wow, cool" Sludge said and ran to follow her

Misato was looking at the various displays in the Command Centre trying to work out what was generating this enormously powerful AT Field.  As she went to another console, a white head with red eyes floated out of the floor and kept going up.  The figure was enormous, big enough to fill the whole command area.  One hand touched Maya and she fell the ground; eyes glazed over.  Shiguru dashed to her side and checked her pulse.

"She's still alive, but she seems to have passed out" he said

"What the hell was that?" Hyuga asked

[Rei, what have you done?] Ritsuko thought

"That was Rei, wasn't it?" Fuyutski asked

"Yes it was.  Now she is something else, whether or not she'll help or hinder our cause is unknown except to her" Ritsuko explained

The giant white Rei floated up till she breached the atmosphere and stood as tall and strong as Unicron.  However she could practically feel the evil Unicron was made with, not even she alone could stand against such a beast; but she would fight.  Extending her hand, Rei raised an AT Field around Earth and the Transformer fleet.  She then floated forward and spoke to Unicron, psychically.

[So you are Unicron.  I shall not let you harm Earth] she said to him

[Move from my path creature of flesh and light, lest the darkness and metal consume you] he replied

[No!] Rei replied and charged Unicron

Unicron parried her blow and continued flying forwards till he hit a barrier.  The orange and red hexagonal patter was familiar to him: an AT Field.  Unicron simply smiled and drew up his clawed hand and brought it down with a might crash, but the field stayed strong.  The Chaos Bringer turned with a look of murder in his eyes.

"That AT Field is unlike any you are likely to have encountered against the Angels, it is also the strongest one in existence" Rei explained

"Well if I kill you, it will disappear" Unicron lunged as he spoke

Rei had to react faster than she thought: for something that was undoubtedly heavy Unicron moved very fast, then again in space, nothing had any weight.  They fought with ferocity and strength, like the Titans and Gods in the writings of Ancient Greece.  Inside Unicron's fast moving body; Shinji and Dark Eva were shaking from the beating their host was receiving.

"I'm going to 'borrow' a military satellite and see what the hell is going on" Dark Eva used his powerful radio and other bandwidth equipment to hijack a Korean SpySat

"Well I'll be, Shinji check this out man" Dark Eva made a viewing box appear in the corner of Shinji's left eye

"What…Rei?" Shinji asked aloud

"Man, your girlfriend has some amazing powers" Dark Eva observed

"Oh my god, how did she do that?" Shinji wondered

"She is able to do that because that was all she was originally for.  A catalyst to begin the 3rd Impact and allow humanity to merge into one giant consciousness" Yui, who had remained silent up to this point, finally spoke

"What?" Shinji and Dark Eva both asked

"Rei was generically engineered as you both know, but specifically for the purpose of becoming an Angel.  It seems she somehow managed to take control of her powers" Yui said as she watched them battle.

"Well that distraction aside, we're still no closer to finding out what we're supposed to do no than we were when we arrived" Dark Eva pointed out

Suddenly the very walls around them were ripped away; clearly they were still near the outer parts of Unicron and they were sucked into space despite their best efforts to stay inside the giant's body.  Shinji looked out at the area of space before him and wept.

The fleet had been decimated; what remained of it was behind a weakening AT Field that an equally weakening Rei was struggling to hold up in their defence while leaving no Field for her own protection against Unicron's assault.  The situation seemed nearly hopeless in Shinji's eyes.

Before he could give voice to this hopelessness however, something in the Universe fell into place.  Rei's body began to glow brighter.  A light shot from her midsection that hit Dark Eva in the back of the neck.  The Matrix floated out of his body.  Knowing his purpose, Dark Eva opened the case of the Matrix: all that was left was for Shinji do his part.

Seemingly possessed, Shinji left the plug, but he too simply walked through its body and outside to space, protected by his suit.  He felt that his mind now controlled the Loginus Sword.  The Matrix had succeeded in making a giant whole in Unicron, who was now shaking and screaming.

"This is it; I can feel it in my bones that this was the moment I was born for, all my pain and suffering and even making my new friends has led to this one moment" he said to himself and looked up: he could see something, a pulsing blue light

[His Spark!] Shinji saw this was their chance so he did only what he thought was right and used his powers to slam the Loginus Sword into the Matrix Crystal

At fist there was no reaction but then, the Matrix began to sort of explode and shot this giant beam of energy into Unicron's spark, then it radiated outwards throughout his whole body, making parts of him explode.  Unicron spoke

"You cannot, defeat, my destiny" he growled

"Oh but we can, because we just have.  2 different species have worked together and given their all to defeat you and your plans, we've all fought, suffered and sacrificed" mental images of Starscream and Rei's deaths and the subsequent reactions of their loved ones flashed across Yui's mind as she spoke

Unicron growled and fired something at Dark Eva, making him falter slightly; but it wasn't enough to stop the inevitable: Unicron was defeated and he knew it, but he would be defiant to the end, even if it was the end of him.

"Foolish flesh creature, I'll have my revenge, AAAAGGGGHHHHHHH" these were his last words before his head exploded along with the rest of his body, sending shrapnel everywhere

------------------------

The resulting explosion caused the group to be separated, Shinji was thrown towards Earth; the strain on his mind and body to great for him to stay conscious.  Rei saw this and dived after him, catching him easily but she too was tired and began to fall towards Earth.  Rei kept up her Field as long as she possibly could to stop them from melting in the atmosphere or better yet liquefying if or when they hit the ground.  Dark Eva was left simply in the air, suddenly the being separated once more into Dark Prime and Eva Unit 01, Unit 1, with the also separated Lance of Loginus.

On Earth, the planet had erupted into celebration of their survival, only the upper echelons of ADA and Nerv were worried about the aftermath at current.  Ultra Magnus have every possible device tracking their re-entry to the atmosphere

"Track them: I want to send a recovery team to their location as soon as they land" Ultra Magnus barked

"Sir" the staff replied

"Will they be okay?" Misato asked, nearly in tears

"I don't know, I honestly don't know.

Misato went to sit in a corner, now she too felt helpless.  They had defeated the enemy, Angels and Transformers and even defeated the original purpose of Nerv.  Now in the most dire hour, wondering if the three greatest heroes of the whole operation were still alive or not and it bothered her.  Kaji slid down beside her and put his arm around her shoulder

"Hey, have hope, they made it this far, they can make it the rest of the way" he tried to reassure her

"I have hope, just not much" Misato replied

Meanwhile in the background, Soundwave began to organise something secret that he'd discussed with Megatron and Optimus Prime.  It was a gift of sorts, for Shinji and Rei.  There would be ones for the other humans but this one was priority.  He'd seen to the choice of location and staff himself.  It would be perfect for them.

"Sir, they've landed.  I track their location to, Sicily, somewhere around Augusta"

"This is Ultra Magnus to the Protectobots, get into gear and head to Sicily; you want the area near Augusta" he said on his comm-link

"YES SIR" the sharp reply in his earpiece said

---------------------------------

Shinji's eyes cracked open, he saw a slightly bruised Rei beside him, in nought but her underwear.  This jolted him to greater awareness of what had happened: they'd won.  He felt joy because he now knew it was over, the hell that had been his life had now been put to rest, permanently.  Quickly coming to his senses, Shinji reached over and shook his lover awake, she opened her eyes slowly too and tried to sit up, but her sore muscles and bones stopped her.

"Sit still, I'll find you some clothes" Shinji whispered and groggily got up

He'd only walked a few feet when Shinji saw a large grey overcoat lying in the sand and not really doing anything.  Thanking God for this fortunate piece of luck, Shinji picked it up, dusted off and gave it a shake to make sure no creepy crawlies were in it and to rid it of as much sand as possible.  He returned to Rei's side

"Here, put this on, I can't believe I found it on the beach" Shinji said with a smile and handed Rei the coat

"Good luck it would seem was with you" she said and put the coat on and did up the buttons: it was so big Rei was able to tuck her legs in if she brought her knees to her chest

They sat on the dune, which was remarkably warm, in silence for a while.  Neither was sure what to do because with Eva both their lives had had meaning and purpose, now that was gone and they weren't sure what they would do.  This was different from the last time they'd both had these thoughts though, before when they'd been thinking about this, they'd been apart.  Shinji and Rei looked at one another, as long as they had each other, then they were fine.  With a smile Shinji leaned in to kiss Rei

"SHINJI, REI.  WHERE ARE YOU?" a loud voice cut the mood like a knife

"Who was that?" Rei asked

"I don't know" Shinji said and stood up slightly and saw a large robot: Hotspot

"HOTSPOT, WE'RE OVER HERE" Shinji yelled and waved his arm

Streetwise saw him first and called First Aid to go with him.  They transformed and sped across the beach towards the two teenagers.  First Aid examined Rei first since her body had undoubtedly undergone the most strain from the fight and the transformations.  Aside from serious fatigue and the sore muscles, Rei was fine.  Shinji had even less wrong with him.

"Okay, they're fit for travel" First Aid said

"Okay.  Ultra Magnus sir, we're bringing the heroes home" Hot Spot radioed base

"Hey wait, is that, Dark Prime?" Shinji pointed to a giant black lump on the horizon

"It is too, lets go" First Aid said and transformed.

Shinji and Rei got inside him and he drove towards him.  Upon closer viewing it was clear Dark Prime had been injured severely.  Shinji vaguely remembered a blast landing on Dark Eva during the fight.  Once Shinji got really close he could see how truly hurt his friend was.  Cracks littered his body and fluid seeped from every one of them.  Shinji tentatively reached out to touch his friend.

"Hey kid, no need to wake me" he said, coughing

"You need help, First Aid is here; I'll get him" Shinji said and turned to call the medic

"No, don't bother.  He wouldn't know how to fix me anyway.  Besides that, I can tell you myself the damage is too much, I'm dying" Dark Prime said softly

"But, you're practically invincible" Shinji whispered

"Against Unicron, only a soul or a God could make that claim: I am neither" Dark Prime replied

"What do you want then?" Shinji asked, putting his hand up, a signal for the others to stay away

"I can't tell you:  If I did you'd do it for the wrong reasons which would make all I've done meaningless" Dark Prime said

"Dark Prime, everything you've done, is to help me, you've, helped make me a better person and for that I thank you.  So in return I'll do the one thing I know I can do; I'll wait, here with you so you won't die alone" Shinji said his long speech with some tears

"I'd like that, thank you, my friend" Dark Prime said and looked out across the ocean

The pair sat there for almost an hour; sometimes chatting, sometimes silent.  It was early morning in that part of the world and as the pair stared across the ripples and waves of the majestic ocean, the noticed that the sun was coming up.  Dark Prime smiled as the light touched his face

"Beautiful; to think I'll die in the presence of that" he mumbled; then his head fell back, Dark Prime was dead

Slowly, he began to dissolve.  The wind had begun to blow and his body was blowing away with it as if it were confetti and Shinji watched, more tears in his eyes as he saw each and every part of his friend just blew away until there was nothing left.  He was gone, as mysteriously as he had come he had left.  Shinji stood up slowly

"Goodbye, my friend" he said and picked up some sand and rubbed it between his hands and threw it into the ocean

"Shinji…" Rei came up behind him

"It was his time, I guess.  I could see it in his eyes.  I'll miss him Rei, but, I'll never forget him" Shinji said

"And that is why, he will never truly be dead, Shinji.  Because you will always remember him" Rei soothed her lover

"Come on, lets go home" Shinji suggested

----------------------------------

They were treated to a heroes welcome at Nerv.  The staff of Nerv and Transformers alike clapped and cheered for them, all of them.  Asuka got a heroes procession with Starscream beside her.  Misato enveloped the three of them in a crushing hug, sobbing.  They tolerated it because they knew she had been worried about them, Rei even returned the hug slightly.  Optimus Prime and Megatron appeared from a warp gate.

"You did it; all I can say is congratulations and well done.  You should be proud, as should you all.  Everyone here has contributed something to this victory" Optimus began

"But there have been casualties on both sides, so I ask you all for a moments silence as a mark of respect for the dead" he added

The whole of Nerv went into silence: humans and Transformers alike had died in this war.  While the victorious party prayed or simply reflected, a haggard figure sat hidden in the darkness.  Picking up a small device no larger than a palm pilot, he walked, in a jagged gait into the lit areas of Nerv.

"Dance and be merry while you can fools, but I have the final say in whether you live or die tonight" a strange voice said

"Father" Shinji snarled

"I wouldn't try your mind attack on me again Shinji: this is called a dead man switch: if I let go in pain, we all die" Gendo warned

"You're full of it" Rumble said

"Have Shinji scan my thoughts if you wish, he'll see its true" Gendo said

"Okay, Shinji, scan him" Rumble prompted

"Okay" Shinji complied and scanned his father's thoughts

"He's not lying, that switch will detonate a 200 Megaton nuclear explosion" Shinji said, panicked

The Transformers and humans all backed off a bit to allow Gendo his space.  In the dark corners of the room, Death Strike and Raid watched and waited to for the right opportunity to grab the dead man switch and kill Gendo.  Death Strike got his rifle out and set it to narrow beam.  Gendo was making demands on what was to happen to Rei and the others.  Death Strike saw the opening and took it.  His weapon fired and again severed the arm of Gendo Ikari.  His grip was still tight when his lifeless arm hit the ground.

"Good work Death Strike" Megatron said and stepped forward

"NO" Gendo shouted and stamped on the control, breaking it

"In about 10 seconds you're all dead" he said and smiled coldly

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.  The ten seconds had gone and nothing happened.  Then the sounds of moaning and groaning and 'Oh God's' filled the control room and on the giant display of Nerv Central command a porn movie was playing.  Two women and one man engaged in acts on the screen that are most likely illegal in some countries.  After initial shock and disgust they wanted to know what was going on

"Come on man, let's stop that part now" a familiar voice said

"Kensuke?" Shinji and Toji said

"That's right" Kensuke replied; his face replacing the porn movie

"Me too man" Frenzy leaned down into shot

"Frenzy?" Rumble said in disbelief

"What is going on here?" Gendo demanded

"Well Dickhead, Kensuke and I caught onto your secret plan and of course being the good citizens we ah, stopped you" Frenzy said

"Yeah, we just rerouted some protocols so that when the detonation signal was sent, instead of roasting us all alive, that little gem of the Adult Industry would play" Kensuke explained

"After that we just waited and we gather that we won the war right?" Frenzy put in

"Uh yeah" Ultra Magnus said

"Oh good, don't worry Commander, something went bang, trouble for you was it was the porn stars and not your bombs.  See ya in a bit" Kensuke terminated the link

"No, it's not fair, this was supposed to work" Gendo muttered

Raid saw his opportune moment now and ran up to Gendo and used all his might to throw a might backwards spinning kick.  The blow not only broke Gendo's neck, killing him but also sent him down the Magi towers and his head smashed on one of them: the same one his jilted lover Naoko hit when she killed herself.

"What can we say, life's tough sometimes pal" Raid replied

------------------------------------------

It was a week after the victory of the war and Shinji and Rei and Asuka were at the Nerv Airstrip once again, only this time they had all their belongings with them and they were being packed into Skyfire's cargo hold.  Misato was crying into a hanky as she stood in front of them.  Starscream was there too, his robotic body also in Skyfire's cargo hold

"Are you sure this is what you all want?" she asked

"Yes, we're sure" Asuka answered

"Misato, we're tired, we need to rest and being a city busy being rebuilt is not good for that" Shinji explained

"He is right, Sub-Commander Katsuragi.  We need tranquillity to be ourselves and freedom to heal.  That freedom is not here" Rei added her two cents

"Where the gorgeous woman goes, I go" Starscream said with a grin

Optimus Prime heard the commotion and came over: an honour guard was to see the children off to their destination.  He was part of that guard but it seemed he was needed to put some fears to rest among the adults.

"It is okay, Ms. Katsuragi.  Like they said, they need the time, to heal their wounds.  They'll be well looked after, Starscream and the Dinobots will be with them and they have a comfortable place to live" he assured them

"Goodbye Misato" Asuka said and hugged her guardian then ran with Starscream to the plane

"Goodbye, my friends" Rei said, then she also boarded the aircraft

This left Shinji to say his final goodbyes.  Goodbyes to their friends had been taken care of earlier and all that remained now was family, so to speak.  Shinji slowly embraced Misato but tightened his grip when she did.  They both cried because although they were still within reach, they would no longer be living together.

"Goodbye, mother" Shinji whispered

"What?" Misato blinked and looked at Shinji, her Shinji, her ward, her son

"Bye Kaji, Ritsuko, Mr. Fuyutski.  I'll miss all of you" he said and turned his back to board Skyfire

Optimus Prime arranged the honour guard: himself, Megatron, Ultra Magnus and Cyclonus.  They saluted the giant plane as it took off into the sky: in its carriage were the three most action weary soldiers in the known history of the world.  And they were being taken on these wings to a place of healing and rest.

Eight hours later, Skyfire announced they were landing.  The children, minus Starscream, woke up and all exited the plane groggily.  They were on the coast of Sicily where Rei and Shinji had been found.  Most of that country was deserted since 2nd Impact and as such was perfect for an isolated set of villas.

"As Optimus said, you're well looked after here.  The Dinobots are around the corner in the backyard.  There are replicators to make food with and they also produce drinks, but fresh water is around the back.  Also, direct warp links to more populated parts of the country and Nerv, in case you're home sick" Skyfire explained

"This place is beautiful" Rei said

"It's huge too" Asuka said

"Lets go and see our new homes then" Shinji said

The End

Epilogue

In a deep corner of space, some aliens saw all that had happened on Earth: they all nodded in agreement.  This was how it was supposed to go.

-------------------------------

It seemed the death of Dark Prime had far reaching consequences for Earth.  The molecules his body blew away as were inhaled, by people.  The effect was that it stimulated the latent telepathic gene in all those humans and indeed the whole human race began to have instances of a Telepath being born into a family suddenly.

With the Transformers gone, Earth's government turned to the one man they knew to have experience in this field: Shinji Ikari.  Although his other powers had left him after the defeat of Unicron, his telepathy was still strong; his children all had it too.  So upon his move back to Japan, Shinji set up the first of a school to train the Telepaths to use their power.  He called the Mind School.

It was later renamed Psi Corps


End file.
